


A Witch's Tale

by QueenofSpadesLovely



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bends canon, Canon-Typical Violence, Deviates From Canon, Family, Family Fluff, Friendship, Gen, No Canon/OC Pairings, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other Canon Characters to Appear Later, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Portgas D. Ace Lives, Pre-Two Year Timeskip, Sort of an Ace-Centric Fic, Tags Are Hard
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:28:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 31,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25457008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenofSpadesLovely/pseuds/QueenofSpadesLovely
Summary: A series following the life of the Whitebeard Pirates and the newest addition to their crew: Azami Chimako, a 19-year-old spear-wielding thief hitching a ride with the pirates. Oh, and she also happens to be a Witch with a 275 million Beri bounty on her head. Things just got interesting.
Relationships: Portgas D. Ace & Original Character(s), Portgas D. Ace & Whitebeard Pirates, Whitebeard Pirates & Original Character(s), Whitebeard Pirates & Original Female Character(s), Whitebeard Pirates & Original Male Character(s)
Kudos: 5





	1. The Silver-Haired Thief Appears!

**Author's Note:**

> Azami and Ace meet under unusual circumstances. The rest of the Whitebeard Pirates meet her and welcome her to the crew.

_Chapter One:_

_The Silver-Haired Thief Appears!_

* * *

Ace sighed and rolled his eyes as he watched the blue eyed and brown haired chef argue with the butcher. They had been standing here arguing for well over twenty minutes; long enough for him to forget how it even started. He groaned frustratedly, then proceeded to grab the younger boy by the collar and drag him away from the butcher. It was bad enough that they were late, but they didn't even get what they came for! The boy turned slightly and gave Ace a confused look.

"You've done enough Allen; we should probably leave now." He said as he continued to pull Allen away from the now dispersing crowd.

"But... But...!" He started, but was cut off with a sharp glare.

"No buts! We need to get back to the ship, _now_." Ace said. Allen released a large sigh, then proceeded to pout. Ace ignored him, but let go of him and continued walking. Allen quickened his pace and soon matched Ace's.

"You know, Thatch is going to be mad because we didn't bring anything back..." Allen said. Ace turned to Allen and grabbed his cheeks, then pulled them repeatedly.

"And whose fault do you think this is?!" Ace yelled angrily at him. Allen couldn't respond, as his cheeks were being stretched out beyond their limits. Finally, Ace let go, and the two continued their walk to the docks. Occasionally they stopped and looked into the shops, seeing if there was something else on their long list of supplies that they needed to get, so that they at least returned with something. It was only when there was a loud explosion did the two stop walking and look towards the noise.

To their surprise, a short girl with medium length, lavender hair and light blue green eyes jumped out of the remaining dust. She was wearing a white, button-up vest, blue jean Capri pants, and black running shoes. Her dark skin contrasted the smattering of dust she’d been covered in, and she haphazardly began brushing it off as she took off down the street, getting as far away from the scene as possible. That was when she made eye contact with them, and immediately rushed towards them. Allen and Ace looked at each other before looking at the girl approaching them. Soon she reached them, and quick as lightning, she pulled Ace into a hug, burying her head in his chest. This surprised the two pirates, causing the older one to look down in confusion and the younger one to blush slightly.

"Ace, you didn't tell me you had a girlfriend!" Allen yelled accusingly. Ace began to wave his arms around rapidly, the entire situation overwhelming him.

"I don't! I have no idea who this girl is! Hey, who the hell-" Ace started, but was stopped by a pair of lips covering his own. Allen's face turned completely red, and he hid it in his hands. Ace felt his own cheeks getting hotter as his mind dimly tried to register what was going on. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw four buff looking men exit from the now settling cloud of dust. They had minor wounds and bruises all over them, but their faces were completely twisted in anger and hatred. Ace assumed they were pirates, but minor pirates at that; none of their faces were recognizable.

"Damn that woman! I swear when I get my hands on her she's gonna regret messing with me!" A particularly muscular guy spat venomously. Ace assumed this guy was the captain, from the torn jacket to the holes in the authoritative hat he was wearing. "Contact the others! Find that bitch and bring her to me!" The men grunted an agreement and split up, searching the town for the woman crazy enough to anger them.

By this time, the strange girl had stopped kissing Ace, and again had her face pressed against his chest. It only took a second for Ace to put two and two together. He gently pulled the girl away from him and looked her in the eyes. She couldn't hold his gaze for long, and quickly looked away. Ace frowned slightly, not liking the situation he was in one bit. He then noticed that the girl was trembling slightly, causing his expression to soften a bit. The poor girl was probably scared out of her mind from pissing off some pirates...

His entire theory was completely shattered when she kneed him in the gut, causing him to lose his grip. She then began to run away, but not before turning around and waving a wad of Beris. _His_ Beris. The girl gave a mischievous grin before lifting her other hand and waving something around. The something was orange, and had a ring of red beads going around it. There were two small blue medals sitting on the ends of the ring. On one of the medals was a grinning face; the other had a frowning one.

It only took seconds for Ace to realize she had his hat in her grip. Anger boiled up in him, and his face contorted into anger. Who did this girl think she was?! Did she really believe she'd make it out of this alive?! Ace could see that the girl had a confident look in her eyes, and didn't seem to be scared of the death glare Ace was giving her. Then she did the unthinkable.

She put his hat on.

That was the last straw for Ace, and he immediately rushed towards the girl. His entire body became shrouded in flames, only fueled further by his anger. 

**_“Fire Fist!”_ **

The flames left his hand and continued forward in a wild column. The girl didn't move from her position; one could say that she was in fact, relaxed.

The pillar finally enclosed the girl in its fiery body. Ace waited for the screams of agony to erupt from the girl, but he heard none. Soon the fire died down, leaving nothing behind but burning cinders. A wave of disappointment hit Ace as he realized that he might have burned his hat with the girl. Ace let out a sigh of frustration, when he suddenly sensed something behind him.

"Ace, watch out!" Allen cried out from behind him. _Too late,_ Ace realized as he saw a knee from the corner of his eye. He didn't have time to turn into fire and burn the attacker, so he took the attack. He was surprised at how strong the attack was, and it actually managed to knock him off of his feet. Ace flew back, and vaguely registered slamming through a wall. He could hear Allen's muffled yell, followed by a choked sound. This caused Ace to jump up and run out, only to see the girl suffocating him... with her chest?

Allen's face was completely red to his ears. If possible, there was smoke coming off of his face. Ace looked at the thieving girl and saw that she was squealing with delight. Her eyes were wide and sparkling, and she was muttering something to herself as she clutched Allen's head. Ace couldn't make out what it was, but he knew it was probably bad. So without any hesitation, he charged towards the girl. When he got into striking range, he made sure to aim straight for her face to end this foolishness.

At the last moment, the girl tilted her head to the left, making his fist completely miss. Ace grit his teeth together, then swung his right fist towards the girl's side. She sidestepped, then kicked Ace's legs out from underneath him. Ace vaguely realized she had still been holding Allen the entire time, not letting him land a single blow.

"Your defense is weak," she said as she leaned over him. Ace scowled at her, and she smiled mischievously. "But your freckles are cute~" her statement caused a slight blush to bloom on Ace's cheeks, and he scowled even further at her.

"Shut up! Give me back my hat and my money!" Ace demanded, and the girl pouted slightly. If he wasn't upset, he would've found it cute. Too bad for this girl; he wasn't showing any mercy towards her. _Nobody_ messes with his hat.

"What's the magic word~?" She said in a sing-song tone.

"Or you'll burn to your death~!" He answered in the same tone the girl used. The girl pouted even more, obviously not liking his answer. Her pout made her look very young, and Ace began to consider her age. "How old are you anyway? Thirteen?" The girl's pout turned into a legitimate frown, and Ace smirked. He had found her sore spot.

"I'm nineteen, if you must know." The girl said with a hard edge to her voice. It promised a world of pain if he decided to continue on the topic. This made Ace's smirk widen even more, and the girl's frown to deepen.

"Oh really? Nineteen? Because to me, it looks like you're not even thirteen yet."

"Shut up." She hissed out.

"For all I know, you could be stuffing your bra to make yourself look older. Hell, you could even be ten, and I wouldn't know!"

"I said _shut up_."

"I bet puberty hasn't hit you yet! Instead of stealing, you need to be playing with dolls and stuffed animals!"

The girl let out an angered cry and thrust both of her hands forward, dropping the now passed out Allen on the ground. Ace didn't realize what was happening before it was too late. An enormous _something_ had smacked him and knocked him off of his feet again. He was sent flying backwards until he landed harshly on the ground. Before he could even react, a spearhead was jammed into the ground by his eyes. Slowly, he looked up, and saw the lavender haired girl glaring at him with a look that said _murder_. It was a look he was used to getting, so he wasn't affected by it.

Instead, he swung his leg upward, transforming it into fire in the process. The girl jumped backwards to avoid the flames, giving Ace enough time to get to his feet. The two were at a stalemate; both were giving each other scalding looks, daring the other to make the first move. Ace's eyes flicked to Allen, who seemed to be calming down now. He might regain consciousness soon, and then they could double team the girl and stop her.

Looking away was Ace's first mistake. 

In the blink of an eye, the lavender-haired girl was in front of him. She swung her silver and midnight blue spear downward, intending to cut him. Ace jumped out of the way just in time, but the girl didn't give him any time to attack. She threw her spear forward like a javelin, and Ace ducked. It flew over his head and embedded itself in the wall behind him. When he raised his head, he saw that the girl had disappeared. Realization hit him in an instant, and he spun around. The tip of a spear cut him underneath his eye, shocking him. How could she have cut him? He was a Logia Devil Fruit User! The spear should have passed right through him, unless-

Ace sidestepped as the lavender-haired girl made another jab at him. He pointed both his index and middle fingers at her. 

_**"Fire Gun!"** _

Bullets of fire shot from his pointed fingers and towards the girl. To his immediate surprise, she dodged each of them. Twice he was grazed by her spear, and was further surprised when an injury resulted from the scrapes. Ace then came to the conclusion that she was using a powerful form of Armament Haki. There was no other explanation for it. And yet, there wasn’t the telltale sign that she was a wielder; he didn’t see the usual black coloring, or any other indication of its presence. All he felt was a sort of weight on him, like his body was no longer elemental.

Ace grabbed the girl's spear and yanked it forward, causing the girl to lose her footing and stumble forward. She made a surprised yelp, which was cut off when Ace kneed her in the gut.

The girl jumped back and coughed repeatedly before glaring at Ace and rubbing her midriff. He smirked at her and spread his fingers out before lighting them. The flames spelled out the words "bring it on", and he could see that the girl was annoyed by it. Once again, Ace smirked as the girl charged forward for an attack. He was going to have fun.

**~loldividergoesherebutwordsareherenow~**

Allen cursed as he stumbled again while running back to where Ace was. After he had woken up, he left Ace to go find the others and get him help. He ran around the town, and found Elena, Marco, and Chizuru. He explained the situation to them, and they eagerly followed Allen. Now they were trying to get back before that crazy girl did something.

The sounds of explosions could be heard, and the group headed towards the plumes of black smoke and dust. People were running in the opposite direction, so Allen knew they were heading the right way. Finally, they arrived at their destination. To their surprise, both Ace and the lavender haired girl were injured gravely, and were breathing heavily. Marco stepped forward to charge at the girl, but Ace sent him a glare that said "Stay out of this".

"I'm ending this now!" The lavender haired girl cried out. Ace tensed up and got into a battle pose, watching as she climbed into the air. Soon she was far up, and it was hard to see her. Allen cupped his hand above his eyes to make out the shape of the girl. Then the incredible happened. 

**_"Guillotine!"_ **

With her spear pointed downward, the girl began falling towards the earth at a rapid speed. All of them barely had time to widen their eyes and let out the beginnings of a gasp before a large explosion happened. The aftershock blew everyone in random directions. Allen flew back and tumbled a bit before hitting a vendor's cart. Dust was everywhere, making it hard to see anything.

"Allen? Marco? Chizuru?" Elena cried out. "You guys okay?" Allen scanned through the dust, and could make out the shapes of his friends. He released a small breath knowing that most of them were okay. 

There was still the matter of Ace though... Now that the dust was settling, Allen could make out a shape wearing a hat. Jumping up, Allen began running towards it. From the corner of his eye, he could see the rest of their group start to follow him.

Suddenly, all of the dust cleared away in a blast of wind. To the group's surprise, Ace was not standing up. He was laying at the feet of a short, silver-haired girl with emerald green eyes. She was wearing the same thing as the lavender-haired girl, and had the same silver and midnight blue spear in her hand, as well as Ace's hat. Did that mean she was the same person...? The now silver-haired girl wobbled, but drove her spear into the ground and leaned against it. Suddenly, she looked up at them, a determined look in her eyes.

"Who's next?" She called out. 

Marco dashed forward, and the girl pulled the spear out of the ground, ready for an attack. Before Marco could even reach her she collapsed, passing out on the spot. Marco stopped running, and stared at her for a few seconds. Then, he approached her cautiously, tensed up and ready to attack if necessary. When he reached Ace, he quickly checked his vitals, and was relieved when he found out Ace was still alive. Looking over, he saw that the silver-haired girl was alive as well.

"Is Ace okay?" Chizuru asked as she approached them. Marco nodded, eyes still on the silver-haired girl. Where had he seen her before...? "What about that girl?" She bent down and checked her wounds. "She seriously needs medical attention..."

"Leave her. It's her fault for picking a fight with Ace." Elena said, looking at the girl with discontent. Chizuru audibly gasped and looked at her with horror. "What? It's the truth."

"But I'm a _doctor_ _!_ I can't just _leave_ her!" She said before stubbornly sitting next to her. "My job is to save people!" Elena sighed impatiently, but Chizuru wouldn't move.

Marco saw that they weren't making any progress, so he gently picked up Ace and motioned for Allen to get the girl. Chizuru and Elena looked at Marco curiously, not understanding what he was doing. He started walking away, and only stopped when Chizuru and Elena didn't follow.

"We'd better get back to the ship; the townspeople are going to be angry about this and it's not a good idea to get caught up in it." Marco said without turning to look at him. Then he continued to keep walking, Allen following him closely. After a few seconds, Chizuru and Elena got up and followed him.

"Marco." Chizuru called out. He stopped walking and turned to look at her, curious about what she wanted. "Thank you for helping her." A small blush appeared on his cheeks, and he turned around and continued walking away. Chizuru only giggled and followed behind.

 _Let's hope I made a good decision..._ Marco thought as he glanced back at the silver-haired thief.

**~woohoomorepagebreaksbecauseIamtoolazytoactuallymakeasmoothtransition~**

Azami stirred slightly, the remnants of sleep slowly disappearing. Instead of opening her eyes, she pretended to be asleep, trying to figure out where she was. She already knew she wasn't in the town anymore; Soul Sense had told her that. In fact, there were 4 people in the room with her now. Two of them were Devil Fruit users, while the others were normal humans.

"I still don't get why you had to bring her along!" One person yelled. Azami frowned slightly; this person was really noisy... "She's a danger to us all!"

Annoyance built up in Azami; she was really beginning to dislike this person. What right did they have to judge her?!

Relax Ace," said another voice, higher than the one that first spoke. This person must have been a girl, probably around her age. "We can just throw her overboard if she tries anything."

......

Okay, so just because she tried to steal from them doesn't mean they know everything about her! She could be a good person!

Well, she had better wait until they reached another island before trying anything. Although, it didn’t seem like they’d give her until then before they decided to toss her overboard (not that she’d drown, anyway). Azami sensed movement, and found that a body was heading her way. 

"Hey, if she's a thief like you claim she is, then why would she bother to keep such an old necklace-whoa!" At this moment, Azami's eyes snapped open and she moved to throw her left fist at whoever even **dared** to touch _his_ necklace. But to her immediate surprise, she found her left wrist handcuffed to the bed pole.

"What the hell is this?" She said angrily, gesturing her handcuffed wrist. She glanced at everyone, and recognized Elena, Marco, Chizuru, and Allen from yesterday, as well as Ace. "Well? Is _someone_ going to give me an explanation?"

"And why should we?" Elena said, a hard tone to her voice. " _You're_ the one who attacked our crew!"

"Elena. That's enough." Marco said to the angry blonde, then turned his attention back to Azami. "We had to make sure nothing bad would happen to our crew. We don't know enough about you to see if you are friend or foe."

"She's certainly a foe in my book," Ace commented, to which Azami sent him a glare.

"Shut it you pyromaniac!" She retorted. Ace bristled and sent a glare her way, to which she smiled at.

"Anyway," Marco said, slight annoyance in his tone, "You have to stay here, and wait for our captain to summon you and see what his decision is." With that, Marco turned and headed for the door, with Allen, Elena, and Ace in tow. 

Only Chizuru was left behind, seeing as someone needed to stay behind and watch Azami. Azami in the meanwhile, was squirming around. Chizuru paid her no attention, and only continued to read her book. It was only when Azami called the salmon pink-haired girl over did she mark her page and go over to her.

"Do you need something?" She asked, making sure to be wary of her.

"I have to go to the bathroom..." she said, staring straight into Chizuru's sunset orange eyes. Chizuru sighed, then went back to the desk. She dug around for the key, then came back and held her hand out. Azami placed her free wrist in Chizuru's grasp, who then uncuffed her left wrist. Quick as lightning, she snapped the handcuff onto Chizuru's wrist and back onto the bed pole. 

"You know, there's a reason why old tricks are the best tricks..." Azami began walking away when she heard sounds outside of her door. Cursing quietly, she looked around for a hiding place, but couldn't find one.

"I guess I'm going up then..." she muttered. Whispering a few quick words, she began to blend in with the background, then started to float upwards. Chizuru watched with wide eyes, not believing what she was seeing. Soon the door opened, and Allen stepped in.

"Hey, Whitebeard wants to see-- Chizuru!" He cried out when he noticed her handcuffed to the bed. "How did this happen?!"

"That girl!" Chizuru replied. "I don't know what she is, but she used some weird power to make herself float and blend in with the wall!"

"What?" Allen said, confused, while also looking around. "What do you mean by that?" He didn't get an answer to his question, as he suddenly felt sleepy. He groggily turned his head to look at Chizuru, and noticed that she had already fallen asleep. Allen then looked towards the door, and began crawling clumsily to it.

 _Have to warn the others…_ he thought, but was stopped when a pair of feet stood in front of him. He slowly rose his head, only to stare into the emerald green eyes of Azami. He didn't see any malice or hatred in her green eyes, but it only caused him to tense up even more.

"I'm sorry, but you're going to have to go to sleep for a while..." she said, before placing her hand on his head lightly. Allen could no longer resist the overwhelming urge to lay his head down and sleep, so he succumbed to it and let the darkness take over.

Staying over Allen’s limp body, she waved her hand once more, face scrunching as she watched a small, smooth glass rock appear in the palm of her hand. She held it up to the ceiling, examining it -- and watched as the last few minutes replayed within it.

“I’ll be holding onto this.” She mumbled quietly to herself as she repeated the same process with Chizuru. Now she had two stones, both of which contained their memories of Azami escaping. “Sorry, but this is for my own protection. Hopefully we’ll never meet again.”

Azami rose from the crouch she was in and looked towards the door. Using Soul Sense, she found no one near her, and left the room. She walked quickly and quietly, wanting to get off of the ship as fast as possible. She had _no_ intention of meeting Whitebeard; she was too young to die! A chill went down Azami’s spine, and she sensed the presence of two people headed in her direction. She looked around frantically, and went into the door on her right, unsure of what was in the room. To her surprise, it was the laundry room. Azami grinned mischievously as a plan formed in her mind.

"If you can't beat them, join them!" she muttered as she began looking through the piles of clothes. Her smile grew wider as she found what she was looking for. 

Seconds later, Azami emerged from the room, dressed in a nurse's uniform. She navigated her way around the ship, making sure to take the quickest way to the deck. Unfortunately for her, the Second Division Commander happened to be heading in the opposite direction of her -- and there was nowhere to hide. All the rooms were occupied by someone and she didn’t want to take the risk of interacting with the pirates and have them recognize her. Azami groaned quietly, then lowered her head and continued walking.

She had almost made it past him when he snapped her bra open and said, "Tadaa!" as he did it.

Azami threw a roundhouse kick towards him, sending him flying through the hall. Her face was a vibrant red, and she was desperately trying to put her bra back on. Ace hit the wall with a loud thud, and he could be heard groaning in pain. Azami sent hot glares in his direction, while also clutching her chest. 

"You disgusting pervert!" What idiot would go around doing something like _that_ ?!

"I didn't know the nurses could be that violent..." Ace muttered to himself as he got up, rubbing his cheek. He looked over to the now embarrassed nurse, and saw that she was glaring daggers at him. Where had he seen that look before...? And now that he thought about it, he didn't recognize this nurse _at all_ _._ He didn't recall getting any new ones, so where did she come from? Suspicious, Ace got up and made his way over to her. The anger in her emerald green eyes subsided for a look he couldn't place. 

"Who are you?" He demanded. The nurse was about to reply when Sam dashed around the corner.

"Ace! Grab her!" The orange-haired boy called out. "She's the silver-haired thief!" Ace turned around to grab her arm, but was met with a fist instead. He was so shocked that he stumbled back and hit the floor. This gave Azami time to run. Sam whipped out his handguns and began shooting at her. Azami stopped running and swung her arm out in a wide motion. A blast of wind came from it, sending the bullets back towards Sam. 

He jumped out of the way and avoided the exploding bullets just in time. Through the dust, Azami ran towards the stairs leading to the deck. "Elena, stop her!"

Azami saw the blonde-haired, brown eyed girl step in front of the staircase, her face contorted into rage. She stopped running, and only stared at the girl. Without saying a word, Elena charged towards Azami, fist prepared. To her surprise, Azami ducked quickly.

"Too slow." She said before kicking Elena's legs out from underneath her. Elena's back hit the floor, causing her breath to leave her lungs. "Better luck next time!" She then smirked at her, causing Elena to scowl in fury.

"Hey! Get back here!" Ace yelled as he charged down the hallway. Sam was right behind him, and Elena jumped up to join the group. Azami clambered up the stairs, relieved when she found the deck. Whitebeard Pirates looked stunned as she ran out towards the front of the ship, then turned to the group pursuing her. She then summoned her spear, and began spinning it rapidly.

_**"Tempest!"** _

She created a vortex of wind using her spear; it grew large, pushing harshly against the pirates. Everyone on deck scrambled to grab onto something stationary, for fear of being blown overboard. Some people did go over the railing; others hit the wall or deck. Ace, Sam, and Elena were thrown backwards, flying through the air until they hit something. Looking up, they saw that it was none other than Whitebeard himself. Swinging his bisento downward, he cut the tornado in half, dispersing it. Azami barely had time to dodge the attack coming towards her, and jumped out of the way, landing on her side painfully. To the joyous cries of his crew-mates, Whitebeard approached Azami, who sat up to stare him in the face.

"Edward Newgate... Also known as Whitebeard, the Strongest Man Alive," she said quietly, a small smile on her face. "I never thought I'd meet you like this." She then stood, still staring at the large man in front of her.

Whitebeard looked down at her, a grin on his face. "Are you the one causing all this trouble on my ship?"

"Yup! Trouble seems to follow me wherever I go..." she said, laughing a little. Whitebeard was silent for a few seconds, then laughed a loud, boisterous laugh. The Whitebeard Pirates were confused; no one had any idea why he was socializing with the thief. The ones that were mostly confused were Ace, Sam, and Elena. They couldn't understand why he was showing her such hospitality.

"What's your name, brat?" Whitebeard asked.

"Azami Chimako." She replied. Gasps could be heard rippling through the crowd, as well as hushed whispers.

"Ah, so that's why she looked familiar..." Marco muttered. Thatch looked over at him, slightly confused, and waited for Marco to continue. "That girl is pretty famous in the pirate world. She's a well known thief; able to steal anything from anyone. She's also pretty expensive to hire, I heard. Her nickname is 'Wicked Witch'. Rumor is she's called that because she's ruthless when it comes to her jobs." Thatch kept looking back from Azami to Marco, unable to believe what he'd been told.

"Are you sure that's the same girl?" Thatch asked. Marco nodded, showing him her wanted poster. On it was her picture, name, and bounty price. The picture only showed the side of her face, catching her smirking devilishly; some of it was covered in blood, hiding the rest of it. Her bounty price was currently 275,000,000, causing Thatch to raise his eyebrows in amazement. "And she looks like she's 12 or 13..."

"I'm nineteen, dammit!" Azami yelled angrily at Thatch, having overheard his comment, causing Thatch to jump and hide behind Marco. "Haven't you heard the saying, 'Big things come in small packages'?!" Whitebeard laughed at her outburst, causing even more confusion among the pirates.

"You're a feisty one," Whitebeard said. Azami looked back at him, slight annoyance still on her face. "I like that! Things just might get interesting around here. I'll tell you what: you can stay on my ship, but only if you promise to give me 25% of your earnings!"

"How about 10%?" Azami bargained. Whitebeard laughed.

"20%!"

"5%!"

"15%!"

"2.5%!"

"Why is she going lower?!" Ace whispered angrily. Truthfully, he was _not_ happy about her staying on the ship. She was anything but friendly to any of them; he didn't trust her at all. One moment, she'll be all nice and friendly, and the next moment, she'll be trading them in to the Marines!

"Yeah! If I was her, I'd take what I was given!" Elena whispered harshly. There was laughter from Whitebeard, causing the two's attention to be drawn back to the main conversation.

"I know, I was just joking to see how far you were willing to go!" Azami said, a light tone to her voice. "But 15% is fine with me!"

"Deal. Welcome aboard the Moby Dick!" Whitebeard said happily. He seemed to be the only one happy about this, as only a few people cheered. "Let's party to celebrate her welcome!" Now most of the members on deck cheered, Ace included. They didn't really care why, as long as they got to get drunk and eat a lot. Elena scowled; she didn't see the reasoning behind having a party for someone who wasn't even a part of the crew!

Looking around, Elena decided it was up to her to make sure nothing bad happened to her friends. Even if it meant earning the trust of her enemy.

"Oh, and one more thing..." Whitebeard said. Everyone quieted down, and waited for him to continue speaking. "Ace, I've decided to place Azami under your care. I hope you and the Second Division will treat her warmly."

" _What?!_ " Two voices yelled. One was in outrage; the other was in shock. Whitebeard only smiled, and didn't say anything else.

"Why _him_ , of all people?!" Azami said. "I don't want to work for a walking campfire!"

"Face it, Short Stack, you're an addition to my division!" Ace taunted. Azami spun towards him, her face set in a snarl.

"Do _not_ call me short, and I am not an ‘addition to your division’!" She hissed out. Ace only laughed at her, finding her reaction amusing. "What's so funny?!"

"You!" He answered through fits of laughter. "You're just so...interesting!" Azami sighed, as if resigning to her fate, and allowed herself a small smile. "Welcome to the crew, Azami!" Azami's grin grew wider as she looked around at all of the smiling faces, welcoming her with open arms.

"You know, I think I'm going to like it here..." she muttered as she closed her eyes, still smiling softly. In the back of her mind, though, was the smallest feeling of insecurities.

She could never let her guard down, no matter what.

**~nanithewhatanewsceneaddedtotheupdatedversionhowcool~**

“So how’re you liking the ship?” Allen asked as Azami took a seat next to him. He was taking a break from all the partying -- he could never keep up with the older crew members, and usually tapped out after an hour or two.

Azami gave him a small smile, before turning to look at the boisterous and lively pirates. At the moment, Ace seemed to be telling a story to Thatch, his arms moving animatedly as he pantomimed. Thatch shook his head, an amused smile on his face as he watched Ace, occasionally interjecting with a comment. She turned back to Allen, giving him a shrug. “Everyone seems cool, I guess… uh, what was your name again?”

“I’m Allen, a chef for the 4th Division,” he said proudly, before pointing back at Thatch, “Thatch is my Commander. Did anyone give you a tour of the ship?”

“No, not at all… I figured they didn’t trust me enough to give me a basic tour yet…” Azami answered, not at all concerned that she might get lost.

However, Allen gasped, standing up with a smile on his face. “Well, I’ll give you one! It won’t do if you get lost trying to get to the Galley or the Med Bay.”

“Sure, why not?” Azami stood, sweeping her arm out in front of her. “Lead the way, Alex.”

For the briefest of moments, Azami watched as Allen tensed, his smile wavering, and tilted her head. But it was already gone, replaced by his easy-going smile as he let out a short laugh. “ _Allen._ My name’s Allen, not Alex.”

“Right, right. I’ll get it, eventually.” Azami said, joining in on the laughter as she followed Allen below deck.

They passed through a series of corridors and open doors, before finally stopping at large double-doors. Allen stepped in front, placing his hands on his hips. “This is the Galley, where we come to eat! Not everyone eats here though, which is fine -- some people like to eat in solitude, or up on the deck. Meals are usually served in the mornings, sometime in the afternoon, and the evenings -- provided we don’t get off track. The 4th Division usually takes care of the cooking, but we rotate around from time to time. Just… be wary when the 6th Division cooks. You’d be better off finding your own source of food.”

Azami pushed one of the doors open, peeking her head in. It was pretty empty now -- which made sense, since there was a party going on. But she could almost see how lively the large room would be when the crew came together for a bite to eat. She pulled her head out of the room and turned to Allen, who began walking down the hallway. 

“Most of the rooms on this floor are for food storage -- hence the large locks. There’s two sets of keys for them -- one in the Commander’s Quarters, in Marco’s hands, and the other with the Division in charge of cooking. Right now, Thatch has the keys.” Allen supplied as they went to another floor.

This floor was just as quiet as the last one, she noticed. The reason for that was because it was the med floor, she realized as she saw a couple of nurses pass by her. Poking her head in one of the doors, she saw a couple of empty beds, divided by sheets, and what she assumed was a doctor working at a desk. Turning and trailing behind Allen, she saw him pause at one of the doors, rapping on the frame. A tired, but familiar voice called out “Come in!”, so Azami followed his lead.

“Hey Chizuru, just checking to make sure you ate,” Allen supplied, before moving out of the way for Azami to step in further. “And I was giving Azami a tour of the ship, so she knows where the basic things are.”

“Welcome to the crew,” Chizuru politely said, sticking her hand out for Azami to shake. She took it, giving it a quick shake. “I’m Chizuru, Head Doctor for the Whitebeard Pirates, and a member of the 1st Division.”

“Head doctor? You must be good at your job.” Azami complimented, still taking a look around the room. It certainly was the room of a head doctor, she noted, as there were various books and papers scattered about, along with various medicinal herbs and tools. She also noticed a familiar looking bed frame. “Were you the one who wrapped my wounds?”

“She wouldn’t let anyone else help -- said it was ‘her responsibility’,” Allen responded, giving the doctor a pointed stare. “She was up for two days straight taking care of you.”

“Well, thank you,” Azami responded slowly, a bit in shock that she’d go to such lengths for her. “Really. I didn’t think you’d want to _help_ the person who attacked your crew…”

“I’m a doctor, my sole job is to help injured people.” She stated matter-of-factly, shrugging her shoulders. “I swore a long time ago I’d help those who needed me, no matter what.”

“Anyway, we’ve got a few more stops to go; make sure you eat, seriously.” Allen warned the doctor as he left. The two gave a wave to her before exiting the room and descending down to another floor.

Just like the last floor, this floor was loud as well -- but for a different reason. Crew members who weren't partying were down here on this floor, lounging about, walking between rooms or hanging outside door frames.

"This is one of the sleeping floors. Divisions 1-3 are on this floor; 4-6 are on the floor beneath us." Allen supplied, seeing Azami's studying look. 

As they walked through the floor, some of the members pointed and whispered at her. Word of what happened earlier that day spread fast, and a few members were watching Azami with awe and curiosity -- as well as suspicion. The thief took a shaky breath, trying to steady her nerves, and held her head high as she passed through them. She took a moment to silently pray that nothing seemed too out of the ordinary, that she was nothing but a simple thief, who _somehow_ managed to catch a ride with them...

She almost missed what Allen said, but managed to catch most of it. "... The 2nd Division has rooms from here to that second doorway. Has Ace given you a room yet?"

When Azami shook her head, Allen let out a chuckle. “Can’t I just take an open one?”

“I guess you could; Ace was never one to micro-manage, unlike another Commander I know…” Allen responded, thinking of the near-heart attack Thatch had when he suggested picking his own room. “You can go ahead and pick now, then I’ll take you to our last stop.”

Azami nodded, looking around the rooms of the Second Division. Most seemed occupied completely, while a few had an empty bed here and there -- but what Azami needed the most was an unoccupied room to herself.

Luck must have swung her way, as she found a room with no one in it, only a few stray items here and there. She eagerly reached for the door, only to be stopped by another voice.

“That one’s taken, lassie.”

Allen and Azami turned to the owner of the voice, and found a large man with black hair, a hairy torso, and a gapped grin smiling at the two. His black eyes studied Azami curiously, and she frowned, not liking the glow in them.

“Oh, hey Teach!” Allen chirped, waving at the older pirate. He spared Allen a friendly smile, before turning back to Azami. “You’re done partying?”

“Yeah, I thought I’d turn in early… Say, you’re the lil’ lass who caused all that mayhem earlier, aren’t ya?” Teach asked, still beaming and offering a friendly smile. Azami shook off her nervousness, falling into a laid-back stance and nodded. Teach laughed loudly, patting his stomach as he did so. “Well welcome to the crew! If you’re lookin’ fer a free room, the one across from Ace has been empty for a while!”

Azami’s face must’ve shifted into a darkened scowl considerably, because Teach burst out in laughter once again. He wiped his eyes and stepped towards his door, opening it as he entered. “Don’t look so upset, girlie! He ain’t as bad as ya think he is! If ya don’t want that one, you’re free to take a bed with other members.”

“Goodnight Teach!” Allen called out as the man gave a wave over his shoulder, shutting the door behind him. “Well, it seems you’ve got your room -- though I still don’t understand why you needed one by yourself.”

“I don’t like to share.” Azami answered simply, looking away from Allen’s skeptical glance. “So which room is Ace’s?”

“His room is joined with the other Commanders, in the middle of the floor.” He pointed to a series of doors in the third hallway, then to another across from that. “I guess that’ll be yours, then.”

Azami squared her shoulders, peeking into the room. There wasn’t much, save for a few empty boxes here and there, and a worn looking hammock. It would have to do -- besides, she’d get more furniture later. “Yeah, this is fine.”

“Awesome! Then I’ll show you one last place, and that’ll be the end of our tour!” Allen cheered, before turning and heading to one more floor. 

This floor was more open, with cannons lining the walls and pointing out towards the darkened sea. Various members were weaving in and out of the area, some carrying weapons, while others carried weapon parts. Allen turned to her, throwing his hands out in a wide arch.

“This is the cannon and weapons room! If you need your weapon fixed, or if you wanna get a new weapon, this is the place to go.” he said, pointing to a slightly ajar door in the back. “Elena might be back there; she’s our head shipwright. She's also in the Fourth Division, like me."

"Elena… she's the blonde girl, right?" Azami asked, thinking of the encounters she'd had with her. "She's… certainly got a temper…"

Allen gave a short laugh, nodding in agreement. "Uh huh; she's always been like that. But I promise, she's friendly once you get to know her."

As the duo approached the open door, they could hear two voices within the room. One Azami recognized as Elena; the other, though, was deeper, and she didn't know who it belonged to. Allen must have, however, as his grin widened.

"Of course those two are together…" he muttered with an amused smile, pushing the door open after one rap. "Knock-knock; I hope everyone's decent."

"Allen!" Elena gasped, her face flushing red at his statement. Sam chuckled from the table he was leaning against, arms crossed. Although, if Azami looked close, his cheeks seemed to tinted pink as well.

"What, it was just a joke!" He said, throwing his hands up. The look on his face, though, said he’d intended it. “Anyway, I was just giving Azami a tour of the main spaces and thought she should know where to come if she needed her weapon fixed.”

“It’s a pleasure to see you again, Azami,” Sam said as he threw a wink in her direction. Elena scowled at her, before turning her back to her with a decisive huff and returning to whatever she was working on. “I’m Samuel, but everyone calls me Sam -- I’m a marksman from the 4th Division.”

“It’s nice to finally meet you under better circumstances as well,” Azami responded with a wink back towards him. Just like before, Elena growled, a dark frown crossed her features. Azami gasped quietly, before it clicked for her. _Ah, so that’s it… why don’t I have a little fun, then?_

Sliding out from behind Allen with a mischievous glint in her eyes, she stepped further into the room, and leaned against the same table Sam was sitting on. He raised an eyebrow questioningly, but made no effort to move. Instead, he shifted his body more towards her, before asking a question. “How’s Allen’s tour been? I hope you’ve gotten everything figured out.”

“Allen’s been a great guide; I’ve seen the Galley, the Med Floor, and I’ve gotten my sleeping situation figured out.” She batted her eyelashes at Sam a few times, a charming and innocent smile creeping across her face. “But I’m still figuring everything out; you wouldn’t mind helping a girl out every now and then?”

Sam’s sent her a charming smile back, the flirtatious gleam evident in his eyes. “But of course; it’s the least I could do after trying to kill you earlier.”

Azami let out a soft giggle, before leaning closer to Sam. She gently rested her hand on his thigh. “It’s not your fault, you were only trying to protect your crew. Although… I can think of a few ways you could… ‘apologize’ to me, if you’d like.”

A sudden snapping sound shot through the room, Azami turned towards Elena, who had a dangerous and menacing aura surrounding her. The measuring tool in her hand was broken, its pieces lying across the table in front of her. Sam raised an eyebrow in confusion, while Allen coughed awkwardly, his cheeks a light shade of red. Azami’s face was a perfect mask of innocence, though there was still a twinkle of mischievousness in her eyes.

“If you two are going to be doing that, can you find a place that _isn’t_ my office?” Elena said, with a thin veil of anger and another hard-to-place emotion in her voice. Azami shrugged as she stood, while Sam had the gall to look embarrassed, sheepishly turning his head from Azami and shifting away from her.

“I’ll take the hint and leave; besides, I’m starting to get tired. Allen, do you think you could lead me back to the Second Division’s rooms?” Azami turned her back to the duo, waving over her shoulder as she followed Allen from the small office. Before she left, she stuck her head back in the room, the innocent smile still on her face. “Oh, and… Sam, was it?”

Sam perked up, a large grin on his face. Elena sucked in a breath, a small frown on her face as she readied to snap at Azami. The two paused as she held her hand up, a wad of Beris in it. “Thanks for the Beris!”

The room was silent as she left, before a series of laughter and curses floated from the still empty doorway. There was a proud smile on her face as she followed Allen out of the cannon room.

“You look pretty proud of yourself,” Allen said, leaving the statement open-ended. Azami scoffed, rolling her eyes.

“I was only having a little fun,” She responded, her hands locking together behind her head as the two walked. “Besides, it only confirmed what was obvious. You already knew, didn’t you?”

“Everyone on the crew knows; they’re not very good at hiding it.” Allen responded with a small giggle. “We’ve begun placing bets on when it’s gonna happen -- You should place one, too.”

Azami laughed, and the two fell into simple conversations as they made their way back to the Sleeping Quarters. Soon, they were in front of Azami’s door. She gave Allen a grateful smile, and for the first time since she’d boarded the ship, he felt it was a genuine one.

“Thanks for the tour; it was… nice.” Azami mused, the smile still on her face. Allen shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets.

“No thanks necessary; I was happy to make your welcome a little less hostile.” he answered, shifting on his feet. Azami gave him a small smile, and Allen reached out to her, putting his hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry, Azami. Everyone will warm up to you eventually; just give it time.”

A melancholic smile crossed her face, and Allen frowned. “It’s alright if they don’t. I’m not really a part of the crew, remember?”

He faltered, before shaking his head. “It doesn’t matter. I can tell -- everyone’s really gonna like you. So don’t be a stranger to us, okay?”

Azami hesitated, before giving him a nod and a smile -- though he could tell it was another of her fake ones. Sighing, he turned and headed back to the staircase, throwing a wave over his shoulder. Azami watched him go, leaning her left shoulder against the door, lost in her thoughts.

“I see you’ve got a room now; that’s good.” A voice said next to her. She sighed, not bothering to turn completely. She tilted her head slightly towards the Second Division Commander, who leaned against his own door, staring directly at her.

“Yeah, I did. I got a tour from Allen -- he insisted on showing me around.” Azami replied. Ace chuckled.

“That sounds like Allen. He can’t help but to… well, _help._ ”

“He’s a nice kid.”

“He really is.”

“Chizuru seems friendly as well. I still can’t believe she took care of me for two days straight.”

“She’s stubborn and determined; once she sets her mind to something, she won’t quit.”

“Honestly, all you Whitebeard Pirates are different from what I’ve heard.”

“Some of us are, and some of us aren’t. You’ll find out the difference eventually.”

“And what makes you so sure I won’t be gone by tomorrow?” Here, Azami turned to look Ace directly in the eyes. He didn’t move or flinch from her heavy stare, only returning his calm one to her. “You seem pretty confident I won’t rob you all blind in the middle of the night.”

“You won’t.”

He had said it with such a calm and surefire tone that Azami was caught off guard, her eyes widening slightly and her lips parting with a quiet, surprised gasp. She turned her head away from him, and back towards the staircase, but she could still feel his calm gaze on her.

The two fell into a comfortable silence, not looking at each other. Finally, Ace stood, stretching his arms. Azami still hadn’t moved from her spot, but she did carefully watch Ace from the corner of her eyes. He opened his door, pausing as he was halfway in his room and looked over his shoulder.

“Goodnight, Azami. See you tomorrow.”

He said it so softly, with a knowing smile on his face. Azami felt a sharp pang pass through her heart, and she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. Before the Commander completely closed his door, he heard the thief chuckle softly, and respond.

“Goodnight, Ace. See you tomorrow.”


	2. Enter Akimi, the Prodigy Navigator!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A storm rages on while the Whitebeard Pirates fight to keep the Moby Dick afloat; during all this, Azami is acting weird, and an intruder manages to board the ship, taking out some of the crew one by one!

_Chapter Two:_

_Enter Akimi, the Prodigy Navigator!_

* * *

"Hold down that rope, and * _don't let go!_ * Sam will be here soon to tie it down!" Marco snapped, flying above Allen to check on another crewmate. The young chef nodded, steeling himself against the harsh wind and planting his feet down on the wet and slippery deck.

The storm had crept up on them, and caught the pirates off guard. Their only indication of a change in weather had been a sudden burst of wind - that had been enough to get the navigators worried, but it was too late. The sky had darkened, the waves turned vicious, and the Moby Dick was suddenly being tossed around like a salad. The ship itself groaned and moaned as it fought against the waves, trying to stay upright against the wind and rain. Up above, Marco and a few other pirates were trying to tie down the highest sails to keep them from getting damaged. On deck, other members were securing other parts of the ship, taking care not to slip and fall over the rails.

The ship lurched, and Allen tipped forward, his foot slipping as he tried to keep his balance. The rope began slipping from his hands, and he grit his teeth, pulling back roughly and taking two steps backwards. Fate didn't seem to be in his corner however, as the ship roughly tilted in the opposite direction. Allen gasped as his back hit the railing.

The rope slipped from his hands.

His feet slid, looking for friction - but finding none.

The sea suddenly got closer, and the sky was beneath his feet.

Allen screamed as he was tossed overboard, watching the sea speed towards him. From the ship, he heard his name being called, but it was too late. The dark grey waters had already swallowed him. He couldn't tell which way was up and which way meant certain death; the currents kept tossing him this way and that. Frantically he tried to right himself, and managed to do so. With a gasp, he spat out seawater and took in a gulp of air, before the waves pushed him down again. He furiously kicked his feet, treading water as he looked for the Moby Dick.

It was a few feet away, but in this weather, there was no way he'd be able to swim back - and no way anyone could send a boat out for him. A cold shock fell over him as another large wave pushed him under. This was it; he was going to die. He found air once more, still treading, but the sea was relentless in claiming him for its watery depths. He was already tired from fighting against the storm all day; he didn't have the strength to fight the sea as well. Allen's blue eyes closed as his arms tiredly fought against wave after wave; soon, he couldn't lift them anymore. He watched through half-lidded eyes as he sank lower and lower into the sea, the last of his air escaping through little bubbles as he sank.

Then, a flash of silver crossed his eyes.

Before he knew it, he was above the sea once more. His lungs welcomed the new air and he gagged, ridding them of lingering seawater. His ears rang from the continuous change in pressure and the seawater flooding them, but he was able to make out a familiar voice.

"Come on Allen, stay with me!" Azami said, shaking his body.

She had seen when he went overboard, and her heart dropped as he was pushed under by the waves. Without hesitation, she grabbed a rope, connected it to the railing, and dove under, using air to propel herself towards him. A few of the pirates had seen her jump in, and were waiting frantically by the railing as he held onto the rope tightly, once again forcing the wind to do her bidding and push them back to the ship. Still holding onto the brown-haired chef, she climbed back onto the Moby Dick, dropping down onto the deck. She was panting heavily and leaned against the railing, sinking to her knees slowly as Chizuru rushed forward, checking on Allen.

From the relieved smile on her face, it seemed like he would be okay. That was good, she was afraid -

A chill went down her spine and she turned back out to the sea, standing up quickly. She squinted as she hurriedly searched the surrounding area, a deep frown on her face. That energy… it didn't belong to the Whitebeard Pirates. She'd spent the last month with them, and she could already tell which energetic signature belonged to who. This one was new and unfamiliar to her, which meant -

"Azami, are you okay?" Chizuru asked, concern creeping onto her face at how rigid the thief had gone. A beat passed before she turned back to the doctor, an unreadable expression on her face.

"I'm fine… I just thought…" She paused, before shaking her head. "Nevermind. I'm going to go rest; all that swimming took a lot out of me, and I don't think I'm gonna be much help anymore."

Before the doctor could follow up, the thief was gone. She blinked, before humming and turning back to Allen, continuing to monitor him.

**~andthatistheendofthenewsceneaddedtochapter2updateyay~**

"Have you seen Azami?" Chizuru said as she approached Marco in the galley. She had a bunch of herbs and spices in hand, none of which he knew what they were for. Marco stopped eating and looked around, surprised to see that she was nowhere in sight. The storm had taken a considerable toll on the weary pirates, and most gathered indoors to wait it out - or to rest from their shift fighting against nature itself. So far, the storm had been raging for four days… If he recalled, Azami wasn't on shift to help keep the ship afloat, and the Second Division was in charge of dinner and cleanup. He looked back to Chizuru, who was still searching with a slightly confused expression. "She asked me to give these to her..."

"Last time I saw her, she was heading towards her room," Thatch supplied as he walked past, overhearing the conversation. "She said she had something important to do."

"Well, whatever she's doing has to wait," Allen chimed in, "because she's supposed to be on cleaning duty!"

"I'll get her!" Ace said, jumping up suddenly and rushing towards the door. No one had time to protest as he exited the room.

"What's with the sudden change of heart for him?" Elena said with a slightly disapproving tone. "The other day he barely acknowledged her presence!"

"I think he finds her interesting," Marco said. "Especially since she's the first person in a long time to actually beat him..."

Elena sighed as she turned and stared at the door, beginning to doubt her own reasons for hating the girl. She then mentally slapped herself, burying her doubt and reminding herself that Azami was the enemy. Still...

Shaking her head, Elena put off her thoughts and continued eating, noting that some of her food was missing. "Hey!"

Ace whistled as he walked down the hallway, keeping an eye out for Azami. Finally, he reached her room, and was about to knock on the door when he heard an unfamiliar voice.

"Y-you'll be back soon, right?" It said. Judging from the pitch, Ace assumed it was a girl, and a young one at that.

"Of course! Dinner's halfway over, so it'll be no time before I'm back!" Azami said. Shuffling was heard, and then the door suddenly opened. Azami stepped out and bumped into Ace. Surprised, she looked up at him, quickly closing the door behind her. "Ace! W-What are you doing here?"

Not wanting to be reprimanded for eavesdropping, Ace decided not to ask about the mysterious voice. He would just wait until later, and then he'd ask about it.

"I came to get you," he replied. "You're late for your shift. Why do you have that plate with you?" He asked, noticing she was holding it in her hand. She blushed and hid the plate behind her back.

"Oh that? I found it when I was cleaning up, so I decided to bring it back to the kitchen," she said, waving it off with her hand. "Anyway, we should probably get back to the galley!" And with that, she grabbed his arm and began leading him away from her room.

"Wait!" Ace called out as he pulled his arm away from her. Azami froze, then slowly turned around to face him.

"Yes...?" She said, giving him a forced smile. Ace stepped towards her, a serious expression on his face. She gulped, feeling the sweat roll down her forehead. It was silent for a moment, neither of them saying anything. Finally, Ace broke into a grin, and held up a maid's uniform.

"You forgot this!" He said cheerfully, causing Azami to scowl and turn away.

"I am * _not_ * wearing that!" She said, starting to walk again. Ace quickly trailed behind her, still holding up the maid's uniform.

"Oh come on! We're on cooking and cleaning duty! The least you could do is look the part, especially if you're not gonna do other chores!" He whined. Azami rolled her eyes and continued walking to the galley. "And you have to do what I say because I'm in charge of you!"

"Just because you're taller than me does not make you the boss of me!" She called back to him.

"You being the same size as Allen has nothing to do with the fact that Pops put me in charge of you!" Ace retorted with a smirk. He could see Azami's shoulders stiffen at the comment, but she continued to walk forward. It was at this point that a thought came to his mind. "Hey, are you really nineteen?"

"Look, I would never lie about my age," she replied, an edge to her voice. Ace gave her a disbelieving glance, and Azami studied him through a side look. "What?"

"I just find it hard to believe that you're an adult even though you could be mistaken for someone's kid..." he said, which got him a fist to the head.

"Idiot." Azami said, blushing from anger, and the two continued to head to the galley, the mysterious voice forgotten.

**~nodividersagainbecauseilikebeingunique~**

Ace yawned as he got up from the table and stretched. Looks like he had another narcoleptic attack after dinner… Hearing a gurgling noise coming from his stomach, Ace sighed, and looked towards the kitchen door. He noticed that a light was coming from underneath it, causing him to wonder who was still in there. He hoped it was someone who would let him get away with grabbing a snack...

Ace approached the door, noting that he could hear the sounds of metal scraping metal. Ah, so it was a midnight-snacker... He wouldn't mind a little company, now would he? With a mischievous grin on his face, he tip-toed the rest of the way to the door, then crouched low behind it. He waited until the scraping noises stopped before slamming the door open.

"I caught you red-handed you little- huh?" Ace looked around, but saw that the kitchen was empty. The fridge was open though, and there was a pot and spoon sitting in front of it. Making his way over to it, he picked them up, and placed the pot inside the refrigerator, then turned to put the spoon in the sink.

The moment he turned, a frying pan met his head. Ace's vision swam, and he collapsed to the floor, the pain bringing him to his knees. The last thing he remembered seeing was a pair of scared sea green eyes and prussian-blue hair.

Then… nothing. It wasn't until some time later he began to be pulled out of unconsciousness.

"Ace... Wake up..." a voice said. Ace groaned, his head feeling like it had been cracked open. He had no idea what time it was - the storm was still raging on, from what he could hear. He slowly opened his eyes, and was instantly blinded by light. Colors swam together, making it harder to tell the difference between objects. He squinted his eyes, letting them get used to the light, and the blurs of color finally turned into shapes. "Ace?"

He slowly turned his head to the sound of the voice, and saw a blob of pink, orange, white, and blue morph into Chizuru. She had smelling salts in her hand, and she was studying Ace's face with concerned eyes. Crouching next to her was Azami, who looked slightly concerned. Ace tried to sit up, but Chizuru gently pushed him back down. "What...?"

"I accidentally knocked you out earlier... Sorry!" Azami said sheepishly. Ace blinked, the memories slowly coming back to him. He had come into the kitchen to get a snack... Someone had already been in there, and he was planning on scaring them... When he went inside, the kitchen was empty, and... and...

* _And what?_ * He thought frustratedly. Ace scrunched his eyebrows up, trying to recall the very last thing that he saw. Although it was making his headache worse, he could feel the memory coming back to him. * _A person, with prussian-blue hair, and brown eyes!_ * Again, he started to sit up, much to the protest of Chizuru.

"It wasn't you." He said quietly. Azami blinked, and raised an eyebrow questioningly. Ace looked at her with a serious expression. "That wasn't you in the kitchen."

"Ace... What are you talking about?" Azami said slowly, mild confusion in her tone. She was a good actor, he'd give her that; but her voice rose, presumably from anxiety. "I was in the kitchen..."

"No, you weren' person I saw had green eyes and prussian-blue hair. There's someone else on the ship..." Ace stood, with Chizuru and Azami following suit. "We need to wake the others and let them know."

"Wouldn't it be bad if we woke * _everyone_ * up?" Chizuru said worriedly. "I mean, wouldn't that alert the intruder that we know?" Azami looked at Chizuru and then back at Ace, nodding her head.

"She's right! So maybe the three of us should go looking instead!" Azami said quickly, grabbing both of their hands and pulling them towards the kitchen door. Ace pulled away from her, and she glanced back at him, slight worry and agitation on her face. "What's the hold-up? We gotta catch this intruder before they get away!"

"It isn't safe for just us three to go looking," Ace reasoned. "What would happen if all three of us get caught? We need a bigger group of people."

Azami sighed in defeat, and let go of Chizuru's hand. "Fine. We'll get a bigger group. But it can't be huge or the intruder will definitely know." She then walked out of the kitchen, leaving Ace and Chizuru behind. Ace gave Chizuru a confused glance, to which Chizuru shrugged at and followed Azami. Ace then scratched his head, still confused, but followed anyway.

**~I'vebanishedthehorizontalbarfromthisstory~**

Marco grumbled as he followed Ace, Chizuru, Thatch, Sam, and Elena around the ship. He wasn't very happy about being woken up * _in the middle of the night_ * for something Ace * _thought_ * he saw. In fact, their entire group was full of unhappy and irritated people. No one wanted to be up looking for something that could have just been caused by the blow to Ace's head! Most them had * _just_ * gotten to sleep, after being on their feet fighting against the sea, wind, and rain for half the day! Besides, someone would have noticed a ship or anything approaching them - not that anything could get close enough, due to this harsh weather.

"Are you sure it wasn't just Azami?" Marco asked sleepily. Ace nodded his head, determination set in his face. "Are you absolutely sure it wasn't her?" He nodded again, and Marco let out a frustrated breath.

"Speaking of Azami, where is she?" Elena inquired. Everyone stopped walking and began looking around for her. She was nowhere in sight, causing the group to become confused.

"You know, now that I think about it, I haven't seen her since we left Marco's room..." Sam said quietly. Everyone nodded, realizing that the presence of the thief had disappeared when their group got larger.

"Maybe she went to the bathroom?" Chizuru suggested. The others looked at her, waiting for her to continue. "And then she got lost..."

No one said anything for a while, until Ace turned around and continued walking. "Well, whatever. We'll find her while we're looking for the intruder." Without a word of protest, the others followed him through the ship. After a few minutes of silence and yawning, the group finally arrived at their first destination.

"The storage room? Why here?" Thatch asked.

Ace turned to him, a smug grin on his face. "Because if I were an intruder that was hiding, this is the first place I'd hide!"

* _What type of logic is that...?_ * The others thought while sweat dropping. Ace opened the door and went inside, and the group followed him, staying close together. Slowly they walked through the storage room, trying to silence their steps and breathing. Ace had his hand raised, using it as a source of light, and was sweeping it from left to right. His hand passed over barrels and bags, boxes and jars, and the occasional cobweb.

"See Ace, there's * _nothing_ * here," Elena said irately, giving Ace a glare. "Can we go back to bed now?"

Ace turned to her and shook his head, to which she groaned at. "We still have to check the other levels!" He turned away from her and was about to keep walking when he tripped and fell. The others stared, watching as he landed face first on the ground. "Ow!"

"Are you okay?" Thatch asked as Ace sat up and rubbed his head. He relit his hand, then hovered it over his legs to see what he had tripped over. Everyone's eyes widened as the light washed over the object.

"Allen!" Chizuru cried out, and immediately rushed to his side. His arms were crudely tied behind his back, and he was unconscious. After checking his vitals, Chizuru looked to Ace. "He's unconscious; I don't know how long he's been like this though... We need to take him back to the infirmary!"

"You can't go by yourself," Marco argued, "you could be attacked. Plus, you have an injured person, which puts you at a disadvantage. Someone else has to go with you."

"I'll go!" Sam volunteered, then picked Allen up and held him bridal style. Chizuru stood also, and the two left the storage room. After they left, Marco turned to the remaining members of his group.

"Now that we've confirmed that there's an intruder on the ship, we need to find and capture him. No one is allowed to go off on their own. If anything happens, make sure you're with another person, got it?" Marco listed, and everyone nodded their heads. Ace then turned and headed towards the door, with Marco, Thatch, and Elena following him.

"Well Ace, where to next?" Elena inquired. All eyes shifted to Ace, who had his back turned from them.

"We keep looking on this level, then we go to the lower levels." He answered. "Chances are the intruder got lost and headed deeper into the ship." And with that, the four continued searching the ship.

Meanwhile, Azami quietly moved through the ship on her own, occasionally peeking into other rooms. She had split from Ace and Chizuru the minute they woke Marco up and went searching on her own. She just hoped they didn't find the "intruder" before she did, otherwise this would turn into an even bigger mess.

"Where did you go?" She muttered as she checked another room. Suddenly, a shiver went up her spine, alerting her that there were people headed her way. Focusing, she found that it was a group of four. "Oh great..."

She quickly turned to run away, but ended up tripping and falling onto her face, letting out a squeal. The shivers were going up her spine a mile a minute, alerting her that the group was getting closer to her location. She hurriedly jumped to her feet and ran into the first room she saw, the sounds of footsteps getting louder. Looking around, she saw a couple of boxes and some sheets sitting in a corner. She rushed over to them, and pulled the tarp over the boxes, burying herself underneath it.

"I think it came from over here!" A voice said. "Check the rooms!"

Azami stiffened, and tried to breathe as quietly as possible when the door to the room opened. She could hear the person step into the room and begin to look around. Her heartbeat quickened as they moved things to search, getting closer and closer to her hiding spot. Finally, the person was standing over her, the tarp in their grasp. Closing her eyes, Azami waited for the sound of the tarp being removed, a million answers already going through her mind.

Luckily for her, the door was opened, stopping the tarp from being removed. "Ace, get over here quick!" Marco said before leaving. Ace followed him, letting go of the tarp and heading out the door. Azami waited until she heard the click of the door closing before releasing a big breath. As soon as she could no longer sense Ace's presence, she jumped up and ran out the door, heading in the opposite direction of them.

"What happened?!" Ace said as he reached Thatch. He was holding an unconscious Elena in his arms, and was sitting on the floor.

"We heard a noise coming from down the hall, and Elena rushed off to see what it was," Thatch started. "By the time I caught up to her, she was already knocked out..."

"I think we may have underestimated this intruder..." Marco said. "Thatch, do you think you'll be okay taking Elena back to the infirmary by yourself?" Thatch nodded, then stood and began making his way back, with Elena thrown over his shoulder like a bag. After he rounded a corner, Ace and Marco looked at each other. Without a word being spoken between them, the two continued their search of the ship.

By this point, they were in the lowest levels of the Moby Dick. No one would be down here at this time of night, nor during a storm like the one they'd been dealing with; the only things down here were spare parts, extra storage, and broken items that they'd long forgotten about. This was the last place they decided to inspect, knowing that an intruder might come down here looking for treasure and find only trash. The silence on this level was deafening as the duo strained their ears for any out-of-place noise. With both of them on high alert, neither wanted to say anything or break the tense silence. Both of them quietly moved through the area, checking every room they passed by. The tension radiating from them was enough to cause the shadows to seem like they were moving. Every creak and groan, flash of lightning or clap of thunder would cause the pair to twist their bodies, sure that the intruder was hiding behind them, just waiting to attack.

Just when he thought he was going to go insane, Marco caught a glimpse of a body rounding the corner. He quickly glanced at Ace, whose eyes widened. "I wasn't the only one to see that, was I?"

Ace shook his head, then looked back to where the body had disappeared, immediately rushing after it. Marco was on his tail, and the light provided by Ace was soon catching the ends of a pair of feet. "There they are! Don't lose them!"

The two of them continued to chase the body shrouded in darkness until they hit a dead end. Slowly, the duo approached the intruder, and the light revealed feet clad in brown boots; a pair of legs in black leggings; a short red checkered skirt; a small frame wearing a white button-down shirt; and finally, a round head hosting a quivering mouth, wide nose, scared sea green eyes, and a mane of prussian-blue hair. Though her skin was dark, he could see the blood draining from her face as she watched the two pirates in fear.

"It's a girl..." Ace mumbled, giving Marco a confused glance. "What are we supposed to-"

Suddenly, the flame in Ace's hand was extinguished, and he fell face forward. Marco immediately dropped to his knees next to him, and that's when he heard the snoring.

"You choose * _now_ * to have a narcoleptic fit?!" He yelled angrily. Sighing, he stood and lit his hand, much in the same fashion as Ace had. The blue glow illuminated the hallway again, but it did nothing to change the look of pure terror on the girl's face. She was gripping a frying pan tightly, and kept it close to her; Marco guessed it was the same one from the earlier attacks. An awkward silence filled the space, until Marco coughed before speaking.

"So... How did you find your way onto our ship?" He asked. He was given an answer in the form of sniffles, and saw the girl begin wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her white shirt. "Hey... don't cry... I won't hurt you... Just answer my questions and everything will be okay..."

Marco stepped closer to the girl and lowered his hand to show that he wasn't a threat. It was only when he caught the glint of metal from the corner of his eye that he realized he was within striking range for the girl. Quickly lifting his arm, he blocked her attack and knocked the frying pan out of her arm. That one move managed to throw her off balance. He then grabbed her arms with one hand, stopping her from making any further attempts to attack.

Marco once again lifted his hand, this time the flame burning brighter, and he brought it close to the girl's face. He could see that she was beyond scared of him, but he wasn't going to let her get off easy. He figured scaring her was enough to get her to relent and tell him what he wanted to know. He wasn't in the business of hurting young girls, and he wouldn't start today.

"I tried it the nice way, but you wanted to fight. You do realize we're pirates, right? This is not a game we're playing; you'll seriously get hurt if you don't back down now." Marco said in a dangerous tone. He could see it was working too; the girl had paled so much that he was sure she'd die of heart failure.

Apparently it had worked too well, because before he knew it, a voice had yelled, "Marco, don't!" and he was tackled to the ground. Turning to see who it was, he was surprised to find a pair of green eyes and a head of silver hair.

"Azami? Why did you tackle me?" he asked her. She didn't answer his question, and only rushed over to the girl and stood protectively in front of her.

"Don't hurt her Marco! It wasn't her fault!" she said. Still confused, Marco stood, eyeing the girl. She was staring back at him, the fear still traceable in her eyes. "Just blame this on me, but leave her alone!"

It was at this time that Ace woke up. He yawned, then stretched his arms before blinking and staring at the scene in front of him. "Damn, did I fall asleep again? What happened?"

"What happened is that Azami has some explaining to do…" Marco answered, while pointedly staring at Azami. She then shrunk back and gave a nervous laugh at the slight glares she was receiving.

"Oh boy… I think I'm in serious trouble…" She said to the girl behind her, who nodded in response.

"Definitely."

**~chickenandwafflesaregoodtogether~**

"... Not to mention reckless, idiotic, and just plain stupid!" Ace yelled as he paced in front of Azami.

It was now daytime on the Moby Dick, and after the events of the night, most of the crew had gathered in the galley to listen to Azami's scolding. The storm had finally died down, to their relief, leaving them with a much needed blue sky, warm sun, and gentle waves. With the disappearance of the storm however, came word of an intruder who * _somehow_ * snuck onboard during the week. News spread fast that it had been Azami's doing, who sensed the girl when she had jumped in the sea to rescue Allen. The "intruder", who introduced herself as Akimi, was sitting next to Azami, nibbling on the plate of food placed in front of her. Azami was sitting with her head leaning against her arm, a look of pure boredom plastered across her face. She used her other hand like a puppet, mocking everything he said.

"Oh please, like you're one to talk about being stupid…" she mumbled while rolling her eyes. "You and stupid are one and the same…" At this, Akimi giggled, earning a smile from Azami.

"What was that?" Ace said suddenly, leaning towards Azami. She jumped in surprise, and leaned away from him. "I thought I heard you say something."

"I didn't say anything! Did you hear me say anything?" she said, turning her head to Akimi. She looked up at Azami and shook her head, then continued to eat her food. Azami turned back to Ace, a smile on her face. "Yup, didn't say a word! Continue with your boring- I mean, scolding speech!"

Ace gave her a narrowed glare before straightening up. "Whatever. Akimi's going to have to go anyway."

Azami jumped up with a shocked cry, her eyes flaring to life with anger. "Why?! She didn't do anything!"

Ace gave her a smug smirk, causing her to frown even more. "This isn't a punishment for her. This is a punishment for * _you_ *; I know how much you want her to stay, so I'm sending her packing!"

Azami's eyes were narrowed dangerously, and her face was red, either from anger or embarrassment. The other conversations had abruptly stopped, causing all attention to be on Ace and Azami. Akimi was staring worriedly between the two, no longer eating.

"I say she stays." she replied coldly to Ace.

"That's not your call. You're the one being punished." he said, standing his ground.

"But-" Azami started, stopping when she felt a hand on her arm. She turned to look at Akimi, who shook her head.

"It's okay. I boarded this ship without your superior officers knowing, so the only logical thing to do would be to leave the ship without causing any more trouble." Azami smiled slightly, then glanced at Ace.

"You're right about almost everything, except this guy is * _definitely_ * not superior in any way…" she said to Akimi, watching as Ace bristled at the comment. "I don't even know how he managed to worm his way into becoming the Second Division Commander…"

"Would you like me to show you how?" Ace spat out angrily, his fist catching on fire. Azami turned to him, her eyebrow arched and face smug. "What are you smiling about?!"

"I already beat you once, Ace, and I'm pretty sure I could do it again. In fact," she started, her smile growing wider. She almost resembled a tanuki who'd just found a new fool to embarrass. "Akimi here already KO'ed you!"

A collective gasp could be heard rippling through the galley, and Ace stiffened. She stood toe-to-toe with the Commander, whose face had become red with humiliation. "That's right; you heard me. You, the oh-so-great Fire Fist Ace, who has a bounty of half a billion Beris, was one-hit KO'ed by a * _15-year-old girl armed with a frying pan._ *" Azami said, emphasizing each word by poking him on the chest.

The galley was silent after hearing Azami's speech. No one said anything, and continued to watch Ace's stiff form. Suddenly, everyone began laughing, causing Ace's face to darken even further. Azami smiled triumphantly, and even Akimi gave a little giggle. Ace, though, was far from being happy. Azami took one look at Ace's face and knew that she had crossed the line.

"You know, I should really learn to keep my mouth shut…" she grumbled under her breath.

**~it'speanutbutterjellytime!~**

Azami sighed as she wiped the sweat from her forehead. She was currently mopping the deck of the Moby Dick, much to her dismay. After revealing to the entire crew that Ace was knocked out by Akimi, he angrily gave her the duty of cleaning the deck off, handing her the mop and a bucket. Unfortunately for her, the mop broke seconds after she began, causing her to have to go searching for another one. To her dismay, Ace seemed to have made sure her job would be hard, as everywhere she went, she couldn't find a mop, and no one would reveal where they went. Allen finally caved and revealed that the black-haired Commander hid them in his room, leading her to break into it (and leave evidence that she had, just to spite him). Finally finding one, she headed back up to the deck, realizing that half the day was already over and she hadn't even cleaned a quarter of the deck.

"Wait a minute…" she thought aloud as she leaned against the mop, catching her breath, "why am I doing this by hand?!" she smacked her forehead and sighed, dropping the mop.

She then pointed at it, the tip of her finger glowing brightly. WIth a few quick words, the air around the mop rustled, picking it up and dunking it into the bucket, which followed as the mop began to swipe the deck. Azami smiled as it began cleaning the deck, then walked over to where Akimi was leaning against the deck. "Enjoying the view?"

"I thought you were supposed to be mopping the deck…" Akimi said quietly. Azami smiled, and pointed to where the mop was currently cleaning.

"I am." Akimi gave an amused sigh, then turned back to the sea, watching the waves roll by. To be honest, she was going to be a little sad when she left this ship. It seemed to be filled with such interesting people… She had hoped that they'd let her stay; she didn't have anywhere to go, nor did she have anyone she could rely on to help her…

Akimi sighed again, watching the birds fly through the cloudless sky. With the waves gently lapping against the ship, it helped to create a serene, peaceful feeling in her… Well, as serene as being on the pirate ship of one of the most powerful pirates could be. The wind blew softly against Akimi's face, causing her to smile. The breeze was amazing… She closed her eyes, enjoying the serenity of the moment. It was only when she felt the ship lurch slightly that she sat up.

She quickly glanced at the waves, then up at the sky. Her eyes widened as realization crossed her face. Without saying a word, she ran to the ship's wheel, pushing the helmsman out of the way and sharply turned the wheel. The ship obeyed, and quickly veered to the right. Seconds later Azami appeared.

"What are you doing?!" she asked, running up to her in a panic. Akimi didn't respond, and only continued to turn the wheel. Right behind Azami was Ace, Marco, and Thatch. Meanwhile, storm clouds were brewing in the distance, though no one noticed.

"Azami, what did you do?!" Ace cried out angrily.

"What?! I didn't do * _anything_ *!" she responded, just as furious. "Why is it that every time something goes wrong on this ship you blame me?!"

"That's not the problem right now. The problem is that she's turning the ship and we don't know why." Marco said, stepping in between the two.

"Well why don't we ask her?" Thatch suggested.

"You should probably grab onto something!" Akimi called out to them. Before any of them could reply, there was a loud clap of thunder. Everyone covered their ears and looked to the sky, noticing that it had suddenly gotten darker. Without warning, rain began to heavily fall on them. The waves were no longer gently pushing the ship along; they were instead pushing and pulling at it, threatening to capsize it.

Luckily for them, Akimi's fast thinking had put the ship on the end of the storm. In the distance, a massive water tornado had shot up from the sea and into the sky, sucking up everything in its path. Seconds later, it disappeared, the only record of it ever happening being a gurgling whirlpool that slowly dissipated. The waters calmed again, and returned to their gentle lapping. The sky cleared, becoming blue again, and the wind became nothing more than a soft breeze.

Everyone was silent, staring at Akimi with awe. Suddenly, Azami turned to Ace, a smug smile on her face. "Did you see that? She saved us! Now you can't kick her off of the ship!"

Ace rolled his eyes. "Again, it's not her punishment. It's yours." Azami groaned loudly and stomped her foot.

"Well, I don't see a reason why she can't stay…" a new voice answered. Everyone turned to see Whitebeard standing over them happily. "If she can predict storms like that, then why not let her stay?"

Akimi looked up shyly, a smile slowly forming on her face. "You mean…?" Whitebeard only nodded, causing Azami and Akimi to jump for joy.

"You see, this is why I like this guy!" Azami said happily. "He knows what a good deal is when he sees one, * _unlike_ * some people!" she gave a pointed stare to Ace.

"Just because she's staying doesn't mean that you don't get a punishment!" Ace retorted. "You still have to clean the deck, especially now that there's seawater all over it!"

At this, Azami sighed, then waved her hand. Once again, the mop and bucket started to move around, cleaning up the water that was spilled on the deck. "There. It's being cleaned; are you happy?"

Ace shook his head, so Azami raised her hand. The bucket rose, following the wind currents Azami created and stopped over his head. Bringing her hand down, the bucket turned over, spilling the water onto him. Everyone laughed as Ace stumbled around, the bucket blocking his view.

"Are you happy now?" Azami said with a smile. After throwing the bucket off his head, Ace shook his head in annoyance and began chasing Azami around the deck, with everyone still laughing at the two. Akimi was laughing as well, a genuine smile on her face.

_A new family…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here is the second updated chapter; as said in the previous chapter, the story on FF.net and AO3 are being updated simultaneously. As another side note, you can find me on FanFiction under the name "Queen of Spades Lovely"!
> 
> Until next time!


	3. Friendly Bonding Time With Ace!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ace (excitedly) and Azami (reluctantly) go fairy hunting, neglect their chores, and get left behind on an island. Cue friendly-bonding time as they sail back towards the Moby Dick!

_Chapter Three:_

_Friendly Bonding Time With Ace!_

* * *

Ace sighed as he laid out on the deck, staring up at the sky. It was a calm day on the Moby Dick; the sky was blue, with few clouds in it. The sea was gently pushing the large ship along towards its next destination. The sun was shining down softly, giving the air a comfortable warmth. All in all, it was a truly lazy day, and the infamous pirates took advantage of that fact. Most were lounging about the deck, enjoying the sun's warm rays. Ace, on the other hand, was bored. He was very, horribly, incredibly bored.

Marco was leaning against the railing, next to Ace. He was watching the horizon, a slight smile on his face; a rare sight for the usually stoic Commander. To be honest, he was enjoying the calmness of the weather. They needed it especially after what they've been through lately. Gaining two new crew members-

* _No,_ * he corrected himself, * _one new crew member._ * Gaining a new crew member and a hitchhiker in such a weird way was kinda stressful; he needed these breaks once in a while.

Ace sighed again, louder this time and rolled over to Marco's legs, looking up at him expectantly. When the Phoenix didn't look down at him, he sighed even louder, and bumped into his legs. Finally, Marco gave a sigh of frustration and looked down at him, slight annoyance on his face. "What do you want?"

"I'm bored...!" He whined up at Marco, his face in a small pout. Marco rolled his eyes at his childish crew mate.

"If you're bored then go find something to do; don't bother me about it!" He responded. Ace let out another long whine of boredom.

"But that's the problem... There's nothing to do!" He countered, letting out another huff of air. Marco resisted the urge to groan, already missing his peace and quiet. It was too late to get it back now; he should've just ignored Ace from the start and let him go bother someone else...

"Look, how about you go make friends with our new crew mate, huh?" He suggested helpfully. Ace blinked up at him for a second, then got off the floor. Marco felt a sigh of relief leaving his mouth, but quickly caught himself and kept smiling.

"You know what, that's a great idea! Thanks Marco!" He waved as he ran off in search of their newest crewmate. Marco waved back, glad to have his peace back, until-

"Hey Marco! Some of the group just came back, and we need you to look over their reports!"

So much for peace.

_~meanwhileinanotheruniverse~_

Ace whistled as he walked down the hallway, looking for Akimi. He checked the mess hall, then the library, then the Commanders' Quarters before finding her in the map room. Not to his surprise, he found Azami accompanying her.

"Yo!" He called out to the two. Azami scowled as he walked up, and Akimi scooted closer to Azami, watching Ace warily. Ace took a seat across from the two and placed his head in his hands. "What'cha up to?"

"Looking at the next island..." Akimi answered softly, referring to the map spread out on the table. Ace glanced over it, humming as he read the basics of the map. However, the rest of it was complete gibberish to him; the random notes and squiggles went over his head. He looked back up to Akimi, an oblivious smile on his face.

"He's too dumb to know what it says...!" Azami said with a scoff, crossing her arms. Ace frowned, glancing over at her.

"I can read maps, you know." Ace argued, frowning with a slight flush. Azami's look told him that she wasn't buying a word he said, causing his frown to deepen further. Before he could even begin his sentence, Akimi interrupted, her soft voice diffusing the rapidly building tension.

"Th-the next stop is the Fey Isles…" she replied, pointing at a few small dots on the weathered paper. They seemed to be arranged in the form of wings, Ace realized. "There's a myth that fairies live on the island chain, and if you ever catch one, you'll be granted with good luck…"

"Hmph, fairies…" Azami said, shaking her head. "The most annoying little beasts I've ever met."

"You've met a fairy?!" Ace cried out in excitement, looking at Azami with wide, sparkling eyes. Azami jumped slightly, shocked from his outburst, but nodded slowly. "You have to show me one!"

"Why should I?" she answered with an air of disdain. Ace frowned, his eyebrows furrowed in thought as he tried to come up with a reason good enough for Azami to take him fairy hunting. His face lit up brightly as an idea entered his mind, and his frown turned into a mischievous grin. Azami's own smug grin melted at this, and a bad feeling settled in her stomach.

"You won't have to wear the maid uniform anymore if you take me fairy hunting!" Ace bargained. Azami scowled at his offer, shaking her head.

"I wasn't wearing it in the first place!" she growled at him, turning her head. "You're gonna have to try again!"

"Aw, I was sure that would work...!" Ace said with an exasperated sigh, shaking his head. "If I beg you...?"

"Nope." Azami responded, smiling smugly; clearly she was enjoying his struggle right now.

"Um, Captain Ace... You really shouldn't try thinking so hard; you might explode..." Akimi suggested, and Azami giggled. Ace scowled at the silver-haired thief, who merely shrugged, the playful twinkle still in her eyes.

"Is there * _anything_ * that I could say that would make you take me fairy hunting?" Ace asked, beginning to suspect that she wasn't going to do it, no matter what he bargained with.

Azami's smile was a tell-tale sign that he'd hit the nail on the head. Once more, that smile reminded Ace of a tanuki - clearly enjoying the foolishness of the person who naively approached them. Before he could even address it, Haruta entered, causing the three to turn. "We've reached land; Pops wants you up on deck so roles can be assigned."

Akimi stood clumsily, heading for the door, and Azami followed, the annoying smirk still clear on her face. Ace trailed after the two, not willing to put their previous conversation aside. "We aren't finished yet...!"

"But we definitely are…!" Azami called out as she climbed the stairs to the deck. Ace scowled, crossing his arms, before a devilish smirk appeared on his face.

He was going fairy hunting, and Azami would be taking him, whether she wanted to or not.

**~shalalalalalamyohmy~**

Azami scowled as she shuffled through the town. How in the world did she get paired up with Ace?! Was this some type of cosmic joke, or maybe-! Yes, that had to be it. The pirates were getting back at her for that last prank; that's all. It had to be. * _Of course_ * they'd be upset with her, after she'd "mistakenly" sold their best booze for a couple thousand Beris. And they knew how much she and Ace didn't get along - with Elena, she could tell the girl didn't like her, and probably wouldn't warm up to her for a long while, but with the Second Division Commander… it varied from day to day. One day, they'd be on neutral terms with each other, even able to have a polite conversation or two, and the next… She still had a few bruises from their last fist fight.

It'd make sense that they'd get revenge by putting her with the one person that always seemed to push her buttons.

"Oh, quit your scowling…! It really can't be that bad, can it…?" Sam muttered as he watched Ace's pleased expression and Azami's dark one. He was lumped together with the two, but he felt as if he were a third wheel to them… He let out a sigh, looking down at the list of supplies given to them by Marco. It seemed to be a short list; it shouldn't take them long.

"It isn't…" Ace responded, humming a tune underneath his breath as he glanced at Azami. He certainly wasn't going to tell her that he begged Marco to pair him up with Sam and Azami only so he could somehow get her to take him fairy hunting.

That was the part he was still trying to figure out.

"Whatever, let's get this over with." Azami growled as she snatched the list from Sam, then gave it a quick glance over. "This should be easy. Come on."

She pulled out ahead of the group, Sam and Ace following behind. Finally, the three arrived at a medicinal shop. There were plants hanging outside the large, open window, and a bright "Open!" sign hung in the glass doorway. Azami pushed the door open, peeking her head in as she did so. "Hello…?"

"Oh, hello, hello!" a cheery voice responded, the figure stepping to the front of the shop. It was a woman with tanned skin and pretty brown eyes. Almost immediately, Sam was at the counter, a flirtatious smile on his face. "How can I help you?"

"There are so many ways you can help…!" He responded, leaning slightly closer, a flirtatious smile on his face. The woman smiled, but it was clear there was a bit of uncomfortableness in her face at Sam's statement. Azami sighed, pushing the almost drooling boy out of the way, and handed the woman the list.

"We just need the things on this list, thank you…!" Azami responded with a polite smile, elbowing Sam in the stomach before he could say anything. The woman nodded, glancing at the list quickly, and disappeared into the back to gather the items. Meanwhile, Ace had taken to exploring the lobby, staring at all of the hanging and potted plants curiously.

From the corner of his eye, something flashed by; for a moment, he believed it was just a butterfly or something, but it flew by again, and Ace caught a glimpse of a head. Now he knew he wasn't seeing things…. "Hey…"

"What is it?" Azami said as she turned, looking up at him. Ace's eyes widened as it landed on the small creature hovering behind Azami's head. It giggled silently, then held a finger up to its mouth, before reaching for Azami's hair. Ace launched forward, both hands outstretched to catch the little butterfly-thing, but it flew out of his reach, letting him ram right into Azami. "Ow, what the hell Portgas?!"

"No, there was a… a thing, I don't know!" He cried out, spinning around frantically to see where it had gone this time. He spotted it a few feet away, resting in an orange flower. It had its legs crossed and was waving at the trio. "There it is!"

Azami turned to look, and her eyes narrowed as they spotted the thing. "Annoying Fairy…."

"Stupid Witch…" It stuck its tongue out at Azami, before waving and flying out the window.

Azami growled, before rushing out the door, a scowl on her face. "Get back here you little beast!"

Ace gave chase, an excited smile growing on his face; he was going to catch a real, live fairy! This was going better than anything he could have planned!

"H-hey guys… Wait!" Sam called out, but the woman had returned with the bags of items at this point. He spun back around to give her a charming smile, and she handed him the bag, a deadpan on her face. "Thank you very much, Miss…?"

The woman sighed and shook her head, accepting the money and returning to the back. Sam sighed dreamily, before shaking his head and rushing out the door, remembering that Ace and Azami had taken off. "Ace! Azami!"

By the time he had gotten outside, they were already gone, lost in the crowded street. Sam sighed, then looked down at the list. "I guess I'll see them on the ship…?"

**~comeonnowdon'tbeshy~**

"This is why I * _hate_ * fairies!"

"Oh come on Azami, if you hadn't provoked her she wouldn't have had a reason to do this!"

"Oh really, now it's * _my_ * fault?!"

"Having trouble, are we?" The little fairy giggled, sitting on a tree branch and smirking over at the two. She was no longer tiny like before, more of human sized now, with pretty grey eyes and purple hair. On her back were translucent yellow wings, with intricate designs on them. She seemed to be wearing a dress made out of the flowers themselves- or at least flower petals, both dark and light shades of blue. Her voice reminded Ace of wind chimes - pleasant to listen to and very soft, depending on the breeze.

Azami snarled at the girl, from her current position of her arms and legs being tied to a tree, and Ace trying to burn them off. "Idiot Fairy. Release me."

"You won't get anything having that attitude, Dumb Witch." The fairy snarled, before turning to Ace with a pretty smile. Azami rolled her eyes. "But I'll do anything for him…!"

"You Fairies have no class; all you do is go around, annoying people, and taking whatever you want. You don't work for *anything* in your life. You think it's supposed to be given to you on a silver platter." Azami spat out, a smug grin on her face as the fairy's cheeks burned a bright red. "You seemed to have forgotten that you come from the * _lowest_ * tier, * _Fae!_ *"

"Oh yeah? And all you Witches are capable of is destroying anything you come across; I mean, look at you guys- you even destroyed yourselves! At least * _we Fae_ * know how to work with each other instead of against." She responded smoothly, folding her hands over her lap. Azami's face visibly darkened, and she sucked in a large breath, before releasing a powerful gust to knock the fairy over.

The vines over her arms and legs slackened, and Azami wasted no time in pulling Ace out and into the forest. He stumbled a bit but soon caught up to her pace, letting out a sigh as they emerged at the edge of the town again, startling only a few people. Azami took a deep breath, and glanced behind them. When she hadn't caught anything following them, she let out a sigh, then turned and headed towards the deck.

"Well, that was awful. Ugh, every time I meet a Fairy I'm just reminded more and more why I hate them! Stupid little beasts that have no business bothering the people on this plane; they should just stick to what they're supposed to do and leave the rest of us alone!" Azami ranted, crossing her arms as she walked.

By this time, the sun was setting, the orange light tinting the village and giving everything a golden hue. Not many people were out and about, the few being shop owners ready to shut down for the day and return to their own families. Ace frowned slightly; it had been early morning when they ran into the forest. Did the whole day pass by without them noticing…?!

"Marco's gonna be pissed…" Ace groaned; already he could hear the scolding speech, followed by what would quite possibly be lewd comments about how he "ran off with Azami for some alone time~"... He visibly shuddered, not wanting to have to endure that, nor did he want any part of Azami's reaction. Still, he might as well get it over with, right? He glanced over at Azami as he began making his way towards the dock; she seemed to be in her own world- shit, had she been talking?! She didn't seem to notice he wasn't listening, so he started to pay attention before it dawned on her…

"... I swear, they think they're so high and mighty, but really, they're just a bunch of superficial wannabes. At least I'm not trapped in between planes, bound to do someone * _else's_ * bidding for the rest of my life and I'm not bound to a dying forest!" Azami huffed, crossing her arms. "They'll bang anyone within a two feet radius of them; sucks when there are more females born than males. At least we can repopulate if we ever needed to, unlike those annoying, high pitched, whiny…. Argh, they irritate me so much! And they have the * _nerve_ * to declare themselves the Highest Order of Magical Beings…!"

Ace had stopped listening halfway through on her rant; he had no idea what she was even going on about anymore…. Something about Fairies and magic? Speaking of fairies… that Fairy from the forest had called her a "Witch" more than once; what was up with that? Did it have something to do with her epithet? Or… is that where she got her epithet * _from_ *? It made him curious; it would also explain her strange power- he was sure it wasn't a Devil Fruit, or some strange form of Haki. Or, maybe it * _was_ *. Maybe she just mixed her Devil Fruit abilities and Armament Haki together… Either way, he would find out when they got back on the ship.

…

…

…

…

Where was the ship?

He could have sworn it was on this dock…. Unless they were on the wrong side of the island…? No, that couldn't be possible. * _This_ * was the side they approached on; he remembered being able to see the town's clock tower from here. This was the dock they stopped on. So again, * _where_ * had the ship gone? He couldn't have missed it! It was a freaking * _whale_ * for cryin' out loud!

Just one more time. He'd walk along the dock one more time to see if he * _had_ * missed it, and then he would head back into the island, start asking questions, and see where everyone had gone. Just as he made it to the end of the dock - with no sign of the Moby Dick - he caught a glimpse of a very familiar yellow ship… And sure enough, it turned out to be his ship, the * _Striker_ *. An ill feeling settled in his stomach, and he glanced back at Azami, who was * _still_ * ranting about their fairy encounter.

"Azami…"

"-there was a time when those * _Fae_ * were nothing but little servants, only able to do their master's bidding-"

"Azami…!"

"-and now they think they own the * _fucking_ * world! They seemed to have forgotten who * _really_ *-"

"* _Azami!_ *"

"What?!" She snapped, the anger clear in her green eyes. Ace sighed, then waved his hand out, annoyed with her. He would really like some help but she wasn't offering any!

"They left us behind." He answered, watching as the rage melted away, making room for confusion to settle in. "I can't find the ship; this is the right dock, but it's nowhere to be seen. And… they left my personal ship behind."

"Hey, look…." She pointed to a sheet of paper that had been attached to the mast of the * _Striker_ *. He stepped onto the ship, tearing it off and beginning to read it aloud.

* _"We had to leave the island so the log pose wouldn't reset; maybe you'll think twice about running off without doing your jobs next time. We left the *_ Striker _* behind so you can catch up. -Marco."_ * He finished, looking out to the horizon, then back to Azami.

She herself had angry red cheeks as she glared at the orange sea. "... Those assholes! When I get back to the ship they're- hey!"

Ace picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder and hopped onto his ship, starting it up instantly. If they hurried now, they could close the distance between them just a bit, instead of staying in the town and waiting to start in the morning. He didn't have much money on him, and he sure as hell * _wasn't_ * going to make a deal with Azami; the woman would wring him of every last Beri! His best chance was to crank out as much fire as he could and get as close as he could. Then… the two of them would have to figure it out from there. As Ace sped along, trying to close the gap between the Moby dick and themselves, he could feel Azami pounding her tiny fists onto his back and kicking her legs to get out of his grasp. Ace grit his teeth; why did * _he_ * have to get stuck with such an * _uncooperative_ * woman…..?!

Eventually the sun sank too low for him to continue, and he slowed the ship down to a stop, letting the waves push it onward gently. A quick check of the log pose he always kept with him revealed they would still be on the same path as the Moby Dick. He wasn;t sure how long they'd been in that forest - it only seemed like a few minutes, but it could have been an entire week, for all he knew… Azami had stopped abusing his back some time ago, and he wondered if she was okay…

The moment he set her down, his face was met with a fist.

Ace stumbled back, letting out something like a growl and a gasp of surprise. His hands flew up to check his face, and he found blood staining his fingertips. She… She made him bleed - again….! Just what type of *devil woman* was she?! "* _What_ * is your problem?!"

"Don't you ever - * _ever_ * - think you can grab me like that." Azami hissed out, her face scrunched in anger and her fists curled tightly.

"I was trying to play catch up, since * _someone_ * got us left behind!" Ace spat out, rubbing his nose. He could hear the low snarl escape Azami's mouth.

"Now you're * _blaming_ * me?!" Azami threw her hands up, rolling her eyes and turning her back to him, before facing him once more and crossing her arms. "Do you get some kick out of seeing how many times you can say it was * _my_ * fault?!"

"If you hadn't provoked that Fairy into trapping you, we would have been on the ship * _when they left!_ *" Ace yelled at her, lowering his hands and clenching them tightly; it wouldn't do good to lose control out in the open like this, especially when it was dark too… Still… She was pushing all of his buttons.

* _"_ _You didn't have to follow me!"_ * Azami screamed, her entire face red. Somewhere behind her anger, somewhere behind the curling snarl of her lips and the reddened cheeks and the fire in her green eyes, it was there. "I would have been * _just fine_ * on my own!"

Ace's eyes barely widened as he processed her sentence; it was sitting there, snugly in between Azami's fiery words. He saw the pain. Had she always been on her own like this? Didn't she have anyone to fall back on? Or did something happen that forced her to become so bitter, so * _untrustworthy_ * of everyone around her? Even though he was still angry, Ace felt a little pity for her; he had been like that once too… In fact, if it hadn't been for Sabo and Luffy, Ace would bet he would have turned out just like Azami - unable to trust anyone and closed off from the world. He could only guess what saved him didn't happen for Azami -

His thoughts stopped as his brain was hit with a wave of sleepiness, instantly bringing his body into a relaxed mode. He swayed slightly, before toppling over the side of the yellow boat and sinking into the water. The grey waves did nothing to wake him up, and he continued sinking like the Devil Fruit Anchor he was.

It didn't take long before he blacked out, all of his senses dimming and dying down.

**~goonandkissthegirl!~**

The next time he woke up, a faintly blue sky greeted him. Ace groaned slightly, closing his eyes and trying to get over the sickly, ill feeling that almost-drowning always gave him. The rocking waves helped little, only tossing and turning whatever he had eaten for breakfast yesterday. Speaking of eating… He should probably do that some time soon; no use in starving before reaching the Moby Dick….

He sat up slowly, opening his eyes once he felt stable enough, and looked right into blank green ones. Both of them stared at each other for a moment, before Azami opened her mouth. "... Hey."

"Hey…" he responded - or tried to; his throat was dry. She must've predicted this, as she was already handing over a canteen filled with water. He drank greedily, before realizing that they should save their water; no telling how long they would be out like this.

"Hungry?" She asked quietly, handing over a crude sandwich. He tore a piece of it off, chewing it for a moment before swallowing and nodding approvingly. It would do for now.

"Thanks."

The two fell into silence once more, with the only thing breaking it being the birds above and the waves below. Ace finished his sandwich off, then stood, stretching his sore arms. Vaguely he checked the log pose on his wrist; they were still heading in the right direction. Good.

"I'm sorry."

Ace raised an eyebrow as he looked up, sure he had heard the thief wrong, and glanced over at Azami with a moderately surprised look. She wouldn't meet his eyes, instead keeping her head lowered and playing with a strand of her hair. Ace sighed; he wondered how hard it was for her to say that. "It's fine. I think we both needed to cool down…"

"Yeah…."

Silence once again. Ace stood for a moment, his head trying to find something to push the silence away with, when a newspaper hit him on the head. He glanced up at the seagull sitting on the sail, waiting for his payment when Azami tossed a few coins at him, giving the bird a grateful smile as it flew off.

Ace, on the other hand, opened the newspaper, catching the wanted posters that had fallen out. His grin brightened as he spotted the familiar grinning, straw hat wearing teen right on top. Even though it had been just shy of a week since his first wanted poster had gone out, Ace was still as proud as he was the first time he'd seen it.

"What are you grinning for? Anything good?" Azami asked curiously, peering up at Ace's face from underneath the newspaper. He picked up the wanted poster and showed it to her, practically shoving it into her face.

"This is my little brother, Luffy!" He responded. The pure brotherly love was clear to read on his face as he continued talking. "He's finally gotten started as a pirate! I wonder what he's up to now…? I hope he's okay…. I should check on him sometime…"

"What's he like…?" Azami asked, still staring at the wanted poster. She could definitely see the resemblance between them; big, life-filled smiles and the same raven colored hair. Just from this picture alone, she got the feeling that he was just full of energy. Something about the picture seemed familiar, though - not just the resemblance he bore to Ace. It was something else too...

"Luffy? Well…. To put it simply…. He has limitless energy." Ace smiled fondly, staring off into the distance - east, she found it to be. "The kid always wears a smile, no matter what he's doing. He used to be a crybaby when we were younger, but that changed the older we got… He could never beat me in a fight either, no matter how many times he tried!"

Azami sat with a small smile, listening to Ace attentively. "Sounds like a handful… Now I wonder how my brother dealt with me..."

Ace paused, looking at Azami with a raised eyebrow and a small smile. "You have a brother." It was more of a statement than a question. Azami herself tensed up slightly, before settling back into the relaxing pose from before.

"Yeah… an older brother - Hiro… he raised me, basically…" Azami smiled softly, resting her head on her drawn up knees. She seemed to be in her own world, a cloudiness drifting into her eyes and a quietness resting in her voice. "I… don't remember much from the first few years of my life, or my parents. The only constant I had growing up was Hiro… Even when things got rough, he would do his best to make sure I was taken care of."

She gently grasped the front of her shirt as she continued talking. "He was the one who taught me how to fight, how to be a thief, and even how to make good peanut butter cookies; without him, I think I'd have given up a long time ago… Especially once those * _lunatics_ * began ruining everything. Even after the Witch Hunter attacks, I never stopped looking for him… There were times where I thought… I assumed… I'd be alone, for the rest of my life. And I know he must've been worried about me, especially after…"

She trailed off, falling into a melancholy quiet; Ace remained silent, confused on what to say or how to feel. Most of what she said made no sense to him, but from her tone of voice he could tell it was a touchy and painful subject for her. And from the way she drew herself up, he realized she probably wasn't going to say anymore than she already had. But now he was curious; what else was she going to say before she stopped herself?

"Anyway…" Azami continued, clearing her throat and catching Ace's attention again, "Like I said, my brother was the one who took care of me; I don't know a lot about my parents, if they were ever in my life. I've only heard vague stories of them, and Hiro won't tell me anything else..."

"I can relate…" Ace said with a small chuckle, the thoughts of his own lineage coming to surface. "But I've got a family now, so I don't need to worry about that!"

"A family, huh..." Now that was a foreign thought to Azami... She wondered what it was like - to be a part of a family... The Whitebeard Pirates certainly made it seem worthwhile... They all looked to have come from different parts of the Blues, and maybe even from the Grand Line and New World, and yet they all work together... Decidedly, she shook her head; that was nothing she needed to worry about. The pirates were nothing more than a cheap ride for her; she needed to keep her distance from them before they found her...

So instead of asking Ace to elaborate, she instead changed the topic. "What was it like when you first met Whitebeard?"

From the grin on Ace's face, she could tell it was an interesting story, and a long one at that. So she made herself comfortable as Ace headed into the tale, starting with his subsequent assimilation into the crew, the many attempts to kill Whitebeard, and how he ended up becoming Second Division Commander. Azami herself had a large smile on her face as Ace finished up and leaned back, staring up at the sky.

"Running into the Old Man was the second best thing to ever happen to my life..." He muttered, a lazy smile on his face. That lazy smile fell as he saw the sun high in the sky; it was already noon at this point. How long had they been talking? "We should get moving again."

Ace started to stand, but Azami shook her head, standing up and putting her hand on his shoulder. Confused, Ace looked up at her, noting the small smile on her face. "I've got this; you rest."

To his surprise, Azami's legs lit up, golden orange and dark red flames flying from her feet. The ship started to move faster, slicing through the water. Ace himself could not believe it; how was she doing * _that?!_ * "Is it a Devil Fruit?"

"Hm?" She turned halfway towards him, raising a grey eyebrow. "Is what a Devil Fruit?"

"That."

His hand waved at her, indicating her now fiery legs. Just slightly, Azami tensed, drawing her mouth into a thin line. Ace frowned slightly, meeting her hard gaze with a cool one, expecting an answer from her. She had no way to avoid it now, seeing as they were out in the open, with nothing to distract them. He could see from the increasing pressing of her lips and wrinkling of her brow that she was struggling with what to say, when finally she sighed, closing her eyes and turning back around.

"It's… complicated." Azami finally answered, keeping her back towards him. "But it's not a Devil Fruit."

Ace waited patiently, even though he was brimming with questions to ask her. * _What did she mean? What type of power was it? Where did she get it from? How long had she had it?_ *

"Tell me something… do you believe in magic?"

"Magic?" He repeated, raising an eyebrow. Azami turned to face him, a serious look in her green eyes. Ace couldn't find a response to that; despite all the crazy shit he's seen, all the weird Devil Fruits he's heard of, * _magic_ * was one thing he hadn't come across. And now he suddenly had some girl he just met asking him if he believed in it?

Azami no longer waited for an answer from him, instead turning back to face the choppy sea waves. "You're probably thinking, 'There's no way that Magic can exist!', but I assure you, it does. Us Magic Folk… We've just… we stayed out of the line of sight. Or at least most of us * _wanted_ * to. It did no good to jump into the big power-plays that were happening; 'Let the humans settle it themselves,' the Grand Witches argued, 'they don't need our interference.'. And of course, this didn't sit well with those * _Extremists_ * - "

By this point, she realized she was rambling, and so she cut herself off. For what seemed too long to Ace, she remained silent, not uttering another word. Ace took this as his chance to speak.

"Well, whatever the hell kind of power you have, you have to tell Pops and the others. This is something too big -" too * _life threatening_ * - "to keep quiet about."

"No." Azami spun back around, the * _Striker_ * rocking and swaying from her movements. "Do you have any idea how much I risked just by telling * _you?!_ *

"Well I'm not keeping it secret. You can either tell them who or * _what_ * you really are, or you can get off the ship." Ace responded, shaking his head. He didn't even consider Azami to be on the same level as his family. Sure, she was fun to mess with, and even fight, but she wasn't family, and that made a * _world_ * of difference to him. "I'm not putting my family in danger for * _you_.*"

Something in the back of Ace's mind niggled at his callous behavior of Azami though, and he frowned, shaking his head to dismiss it.

Azami glared down at him, her fist clenched tightly. Ace stared back at her, his eyes smoldering. Even from the few short months he's known her, he learned to recognize the small, twinkling glint in her eyes; she was planning something. Ace tensed, small tendrils of smoke rolling off of his biceps as Azami instead smiled frigidly.

"Then I guess we've never had this conversation."

Ace was going to ask her what he meant when he felt the wave of sleepiness hit him. For a moment, he thought his narcolepsy kicked in again, but he realized this was… forced. Unnatural. Like something - or someone - was imposing this onto his mind. It took half a second for him to realize this was Azami's doing, but his body was too heavy for him to do anything at this point.

"Dam… mit…" he only managed to get one swear out before his mind settled down in the murky darkness that was sleep.

Azami sighed, her hands shaking as she kept pushing the * _Striker_ * forward, a lump forming in her throat. Eventually, once she felt they had reached an adequate current, she turned back to the sleeping Ace, bending down over him. With a wave of her hand and few words, a glass stone appeared in her palm. Staring at it, she could see their conversation being replayed, down to Ace's ultimatum. She scoffed, the lump still sitting in her throat, and she glared down at the sleeping Commander.

"Stupid; I know I don't matter to you. But I'm going to protect myself regardless." She muttered, angrily wiping a tear away as she turned back to the front of the Striker, starting up the engine once more.

She couldn't figure out why his comment bothered her so much, until she thought back to before she'd told him her secret. The way his smile lit up when he saw his brother's wanted poster; the attentiveness and quietness he gave her as she talked about her own brother; the pure excitement that trembled in his body as he told her the story of how he became a Whitebeard Pirate…

It was because it was the first time they * _really_ * talked to each other. It was the first time she shared a conversation, a * _true_ * conversation, with a person other than her brother.

She let out a short, bitter laugh. Who would have thought that the person to break through her first defense so quickly would be the same person that infuriated her on a daily basis? But when she really thought about Ace, her mind pushed past all the superficial bullshit, the barely polite conversations and the near-brutal fights they'd get into… her mind stopped at the very first night she'd stayed on the Moby Dick, to that first conversation she and Ace had, outside their doors.

* _"Goodnight, Azami. See you tomorrow."_ *

She could see it, clear as day - the small, knowing smile he'd given her, the soft conviction in his voice, being so * _sure_ * he'd wake up the next morning and see her at the breakfast table. It had pierced right through her heart, tearing at her soul. There was only one time in her life she'd heard someone other than her brother speak in such a way to her, with such a belief in her…

Her hand reached up and gently touched the crescent moon necklace around her neck, and she released a small, shuddering sigh.

"You remind me so much of him, sometimes…" Azami muttered to the unconscious Ace. "You're both so different, but… oh, so similar at times that it's scary. Some of the things you say and do, are exactly what he'd do if he were still here."

She still kept her back to Ace, before letting out a short laugh. Perhaps this was a sign, then.

"Alright, I'll let you in, Portgas." A small, warm smile crossed her features as the sun set on the horizon in front of the duo.

"I'm trusting you to not let me down…"

**~Shalalalalalaain'tthatsadit'ssuchashametoobad~**

"Portgas…! Wake up, you walking Campfire!"

Ace groaned, blinking his eyes rapidly to dispel the misty remains that sleep held over him. The world came into focus, and he found himself staring up at blank green eyes and a head of silver hair. Azami. What had he been doing before? He remembered being left behind on the island… the argument with Azami… and then his narcolepsy chose the perfect time to kick in… There was another conversation - something about Azami - but his brain was too muddled from waking up, and he could have very well been imagining it... Surely he hadn't been asleep for that long, then? It seemed like more time had passed than he remembered, but… then again, his narcolepsy did that to him.

"Hey!"

He looked to his right, and saw that they were pulled up beside the Moby Dick. A bunch of the members were leaning against the railing, some with smug grins, others laughing at their situation. Ace sat up, rubbing his head slightly and staring at the grinning and giggling pirates. Azami had already hopped aboard the deck, no longer concerned for Ace. He could hear her complaints from the * _Striker,_ * and he chuckled, climbing the ladder and helping others pull the bright yellow ship up and out of the water.

No sooner did he finish this task was he bombarded, with Sam, Elena, Allen, Akimi, Thatch, and Marco surrounding him.

"So? What was it like to spend four whole days alone with Azami?!" Sam demanded, his eyes blazing with determined fire.

"Did you find any secrets out?" Elena asked with equal force and determination as Sam. Ace faltered a bit, glancing over at Azami, who was chatting with another crew member like the time they spent together had meant nothing.

"Did she tell you anything about herself?" Allen asked curiously, peering at Azami as well.

Even though he felt like there was a gap in his memory, he * _did_ * learn something new about her. "Well… she's certainly interesting…"

"What kind of answer is that?" Sam responded with a childish frown, crossing his arms.

Ace wasn't sure, but until he figured out more himself, that was the best answer he could give.

"I'm glad you enjoyed your break, Ace, but…" Marco stepped forward, placing a hand on the hot-headed Commander's shoulder. There was a chilling smile on his face as he looked at Ace, causing him to shudder. "You two are going to have to make it up."

"What? Oh come on, Marco! I-it was just one day! And it was an accident! This wasn't intentional!"

"It's the chores you skipped while on the island, * _plus_ * the four days you were out at sea; come see me later to get your punishments!"

Everyone laughed as Ace chased Marco around the ship, pleading with him to change his punishment, to no avail. Everything had returned to normal once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 4 is on its way (updated July 23, 2020); I'm wrangling around with it, and I might even end up splitting it in half at this point, so sit tight! Remember, the story is updated on FF.net and AO3!


	4. The Color of Hunger, pt. 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ace has a question that needs answering, and drags the rest of his friends with him to find the answer. Things don't go as planned.

_Chapter Four:_

_The Color of Hunger_

* * *

As Thatch walked into the galley, he was surprised to find Ace sitting down at one of the tables alone, his eyebrows scrunched in deep thought. Though the galley was full of other members chatting or eating, Ace seemed completely unfazed by the antics happening around him. This amazed the older crewmember, who had to do a double take. The Second Division Commander didn't notice, and still wore the same expression. Thatch cautiously approached the teen, afraid that it was some prank. When he reached the table Ace was sitting at and hadn't been humiliated, Thatch took a seat across from him.

"Ace...?" He said quietly. The teen didn't even look up to see who called him. "Hellooo..." Ace still didn't answer, and only continued to stare at the same spot on the table. "Yo, Ace. You in there?" Thatch snapped his fingers in front of his face, finally getting Ace's attention. He jumped, then blinked before finally registering that Thatch was sitting in front of him.

"When did you get here?" Ace asked. Thatch chuckled, causing the teen to pout.

"What were you even thinking about anyway?" Thatch asked. "You seemed to be thinking about it hard enough to distract you from your surroundings." Ace's face became serious again, causing Thatch to become more interested.

"Well... I was thinking about something I read in a book..." Thatch stared at Ace with wonder in his eyes, unable to entertain the thought of Ace even being in close proximity to * _anything_ * paper-based, be it his unfinished paperwork or a book.

This caused Ace to blush from embarrassment. "Yes, Thatch, I read sometimes! Anyway, the book was talking about colors, and in one chapter, it was talking about the color of mercy. But mercy isn't something that's visible. So how could someone tell what color it was? Apparently, that person was able to tell. So that got me thinking about other non visible things that could have colors, like hunger."

"Thatch, what do you think the color of hunger is?"

Thatch was silent, trying to figure out how exactly to respond to his question. He came up with nothing though, so he answered Ace's question with another one. "First, what do * _you_ * think the color of hunger is?"

The younger Division Captain sighed, running a hand through his hair as he tilted his chair back and looked up at the wooden ceiling. "Well, that's the problem - it could be * _any_ * color! Who's to say it can't be blue, but it can be purple? Who decides what colors hunger can be? Who makes these choices, Thatch?"

"Those are good questions to ask, Ace," The 4th Division Commander replied as he tilted his head slightly, managing to keep his giggle at his younger crewmate's crisis down. "But maybe you should focus on one question for now."

"I guess…" He closed his eyes as he continued to tilt his chair backwards, flirting with gravity's pull. "But where do I even * _begin_ * to find the answer to that…?"

"Find the answer to what?" a voice behind him said. Ace opened his eyes, only to stare into the sunset orange ones of Chizuru, who lifted an eyebrow in amusement. Ace righted himself, before turning around and sitting in his chair backwards. Behind him, Thatch was waving his hands wildly, trying to catch the doctor's attention and warn her not to engage - to no avail. "What crazy antic are you up to * _now_ *?"

"Oh, Chizuru…" he hummed, leaning his hands on the back of the chair. His eyes lit up, however, as a plan began to form in his mind. "Chizuru! You can help me!"

"What are you trying to rope me into this time, Ace?" she frowned, while Thatch again began waving his arms, making an "X" motion repeatedly, only to facepalm as she continued to ignore him. "Last time you needed my help, my face was purple - for a week! And I was held * _hostage_ * by ducks!"

"Don't worry, your skin won't change colors… probably," Ace suggested, before turning to Thatch, who sat up. "And you'll be helping me too, of course!"

"Yippee…" Thatch cried out with feigned enthusiasm, before turning to the doctor with a slight scowl. "Clearly I need a new signal for 'Do Not Engage'..." Chizuru could only tilt her head in confusion, before turning back to the 2nd Division Commander.

"So what now, our curious leader? I still have no clue what you're dragging me into…" she added, placing her hands on her hips.

"Now, we locate the other members of our group! And I know who to ask next!" He said enthusiastically, hopping from his seat and heading out the door. Chizuru hesitated, looking back at Thatch, who only waved his hand at the duo. If he could help it, he would stay out of Ace's shenanigans as long as possible, starting now. The hot-headed commander didn't notice the lack of Thatch's presence as he entered the cannon rooms, scanning the crowd for his next victim. And find them he did, as he spotted the startling blonde hair of their head shipwright. "Elena!"

The girl in question looked up as her name was called, rag in one hand, cannon part in the other, and a screwdriver in her mouth. There was a quizzical expression on her face as she tried to talk around the tool in her mouth. "Whazzuf? Dih yah neefh fhomefhin?"

"Elena, I have a question that needs answering and you're gonna help me do it! Have you seen Allen, by the way? I also need him..." Ace proclaimed, a large smile on his face.

Elena motioned to the doorway behind her as she paused her work, putting the rag down in favor of removing the screwdriver from her mouth. "Allen's in the storage room back there. What's this 'question that needs answering' first? This better not be * _another_ * one of your pranks! Last time there were feathers stuck in the cannons for * _months_ *!"

"No, it's not a prank," Ace started, before flushing slightly and crossing his arms at the mention of his last prank. "And I told you that was an accident! I didn't realize it would initiate a Chicken-Duck War!"

"Well, as long as it doesn't result in the cannons getting clogged again; I'm still finding feathers in weird places…" she muttered, wiping her hands on her pants legs. "I guess I'm in this mystery 'plan' of yours."

Ace gave a cheer as he threw his fist into the air, then turned as he heard his name being called. Chizuru had gone ahead and explained the situation to Allen, who seemed a bit confused on why he was being included in the group. "So what exactly are you planning? Chizuru didn't really tell me, and I'm * _really_ * hoping it's not another Chicken-Duck War…"

"Okay, from this point on, we will not speak of the Chicken-Duck War again!" Ace declared, shaking his head free of those memories. "I want you three to help me figure out what the color of hunger is," Ace explained, the grin on his face growing wider. "See, there was this book I was reading and -"

"There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you," another voice interrupted, causing the four to turn towards the door.

In it stood Akimi, shyly wringing her hands together with an awkward smile on her face; behind her was Sam, who gave a half wave to the quartet. "We've come across a rather… peculiar island that I'll think you'll like, Captain."

"Oh, that'll make the perfect base for our operations!" The 2nd Division Commander exclaimed, waving the other three to follow behind him. They all filed towards the deck, eyes widening in excitement as they took in the shoreline before them. From the direction they had come in, it seemed this was an island that was heavily jungle or forests - most likely jungle, Ace noted, as he felt the increasing humidity in the air. The likelihood of this being a Summer Island was high, given the fog settled around the island; a stark contrast to the much cooler ocean currents they'd previously been riding. Not a problem for him, but he did spy other crewmates wiping sweat from their bodies and fanning themselves with makeshift fans. Even Whitebeard had his nurses set up a fan for him as the Moby Dick lumbered ever closer to the island.

"This island is only noted on an old, weathered map - even the log poses are reacting strangely to its presence…" Akimi noted as she continued to make notes on a new map, occasionally glancing up to make sure they were still on course. "The only name I could find referring to it was 'Champion's Island'; apparently, there's a legend of a powerful artifact left behind by a god; if you complete its challenge, you'll receive the artifact."

Now this piqued Ace's interest. He turned to Akimi, leaning over her shoulder as she made notes. "Wait, so you get this item and… you can do whatever with it? Maybe even, oh I don't know - answer unsolvable questions?"

"Well, there are not many records of this item, so there may be some things lost to time," Akimi answered, before sliding out a sheet of paper yellowed with age. Its print was nearly faded at this point, but from what he could make out, it talked about some mystical thing being "only for champions" who dared try the island god's challenge. "However, with what we do know, answering a simple question would not activate even 10% of this item's power. So in short, yes, it could answer an 'unsolvable question'."

"Well that settles it - I've got to get this artifact thing!" Ace decided, much to the dismay of his three crew mates. "If we work together to complete this trial, then we can get the answer to my question!"

"Wow, I know I call you stupid often, but you're really proving my point now!" Another voice countered, wiping the grin from Ace's face and replacing it with a scowl. He'd recognize that condescending tone anywhere…

Azami.

And sure enough, as he turned around, he was met with the sight of the frowning, green eyed, silver-haired thief. Today she'd chosen to wear a puce tank top, white vest, puce arm warmers, blue shorts, black boots, and her constant black witch's hat.

"What do you want * _now_ *, Strawberry Shortcake? I'm busy." Ace replied instead, letting her comment about him being stupid slide in favor of making her irritated about her height. It worked, as her frown deepened with annoyance and she crossed her arms tightly. "I've got to figure out what this 'Champion's Challenge' is, so go play somewhere else."

"I honestly should let you suffer whatever curse that item has put on it, but I'd like to be able to stay on the ship a little longer," Azami retorted with an eyeroll. "So I'm gonna say this once, and once * _only_ *. Leave that artifact * _alone_ *."

"And what makes * _you_ * the leading expert on weird, mystical items?" Ace asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Look, I've been in the thieving business for years now, and I've run into plenty of idiots like you who hear 'unlimited power' and 'special artifact' and think there are no consequences," she started, closing her eyes. When she opened them again, there was more softness to them than before, catching Ace off guard. "But there are always consequences to huge powers - you of all people should know * _this_ *. I'm not ordering you to leave this thing alone. I'm warning you and hoping you'll listen."

For a moment, Ace wavered; she did seem sincere in her words - clearly she had some history with mystical items, from the way she changed from crude and childish to genuinely worried. But Ace wasn't one to turn away from * _supposed_ * danger, and if he was going to go ahead, then there was only one option left to him.

"Come with us."

From the way Azami's demeanor shifted, that wasn't a response she had been expecting the Division Captain to give her. Her eyes widened slightly as her arms dropped to her sides, and she tilted her head as she blinked, trying to come up with a reply. "Excuse me…?"

"Why don't you come with us?" He repeated, shrugging his shoulders. "You seem to know a lot about mysterious artifacts and stuff, so you can tell me if it's dangerous or not before I use it."

"... Wow. You really * _are_ * an idiot…" Azami muttered with a chuckle, shaking her head. Throwing her hands up in defeat, she gave Ace a smirk, the twinkle in her eyes playful rather than cold. "Fine, I'll go along on your little adventure."

"I… I'm going too!" Akimi suddenly piped up, having watched the exchange between the two. "If this island has only been explored once before, I want to find new information and chronicle it!"

"Having a navigator along wouldn't hurt, so sure!" Ace nodded along, his face splitting into a large smile. He turned towards the front of the ship, eyeing the shoreline growing closer. By now, they'd been enveloped in the fog on all sides, and the temperature only continued to rise. It was nowhere near dangerous to prevent them from stopping, but those who weren't used to heat would certainly suffer from the uptick.

"I'm quite certain that there is no dock for the ship to stop at, judging from the way the waves are carrying us," Akimi muttered as she paced the starboard side of the ship, "And this fog is very thick, making me feel a bit worried we may not find our way out too easily; its movements and density suggest that it will continue to cover the ocean for the next fews days at best, and the next two weeks at worst. Therefore, I suggest we stop here - the water is not too deep here either, so anchoring would not be too much of an issue."

"The shoreline is pretty visible from here," Azami noted as she leaned against the railing, peering out into the fog-ridden ocean. "Let's load up a boat and get going. We've already got the thumbs-up from the old man, yeah?"

"That's right - normally, we would have passed this island, but Captain Whitebeard thought it might be hiding something interesting…" Akimi supplied, climbing into the boat carefully as it hung over the edge of the ship. The others climbed into the ship as well, ending with Sam taking up the last spot on the bench. The little navigator looked up as he sat down, a quizzical look on her face. "I didn't know you were coming along as well; looking for adventure?"

The gunner nodded, a grin on his face and an adventurous shine in his brown eyes. "Of course I am - I'd never pass up an opportunity to go exploring!"

"You do have a point; I wonder what secrets are left hidden in this island's woods…" Akimi agreed, looking out to the mystery-shrouded island as their boat was lowered into the waiting sea. Akimi took her spot at the front of the small boat, and despite the fog blocking their view partially, the young navigator was able to keep the boat on course for the shore. "We're not too far away now… Ace, Sam, adjust the ship 12 degrees port please."

The two nodded, following her directions, and soon, they were hitting shallow water. The two men jumped out of the ship and pulled it up along the sand, hearing and seeing other scouting ships make their way onto the beach as well. Some pirates hopped off and plopped down into the sand immediately, kicking off shoes and laying back, others immediately rushed into the brush, climbing trees and exploring around the area. Ace turned to his gathered group of explorers, a large, full-toothed smile breaking out on his face.

"Alright everyone, let's get to it! On to the Champion's Challenge!" he called out, rushing towards the jungle. However, he was stopped as he ran into a wall of air full force. With a grunt, he was thrown to the ground, landing on his back. A shadow fell over him as he opened his eyes to stare into the disappointed green eyes of Azami. "Hey, what'd ya do * _that_ * for?!"

"How are you expecting to find this 'Champion's Challenge' by running into the forest with no information?" she instead responded, walking past him as he sat up, rubbing his forehead. She stopped at the edge of the beach, staring into the densely packed trees with a hum. "I mean, you really were going to attempt this blindly and drag us all into your mess…"

"Well, what would * _you_ * suggest I do?" Ace huffed, watching as she paced around the rainforest's edge, occasionally stopping to look back and forth. There was a frown on her face as she studied the area.

"Something's not right…" she muttered, eyes swivelling slowly across the beach as she returned to the rest of the group, passing the pouting Ace. "If there was any sort of mystical relic on this island, I should've sensed it by now…"

"What if it's hidden?" Allen suggested, staring out at the forest - though he wondered if there was some trick to sensing things like that. "If it's an important item, no one would leave it out in the open to be found…"

"I guess you're right." She agreed, though it still felt like something was off. "But…" she hesitated once more, before shaking her head with finality. "Nevermind."

"According to the information I was able to gather, the 'Champion's Challenge' first starts when you 'reach the appointed place'... I think you also need an item, but all I could make out is 'frozen in time'..." Akimi supplied, looking back up towards the forest.

"Well, do you have a direction we can start looking in?" Sam asked. She nodded, pointing North - towards the opposite end of the island. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

As the group began moving towards the fog, Azami suddenly stopped, letting out a short gasp and summoning her spear. Before anyone could ask, however, there was a huge rumbling in the ground. Nearby, the other pirates gasped in shock, some of them calling out to others to make sure everyone was alright and accounted for. Akimi lost her balance, landing on her stomach, with Chizuru landing on top of her. Elena raised her fists and Sam held one of his guns loosely in his hands.

A roar erupted from the rumbling - a deep guttural noise that made the hairs on Ace's arms stand. Whatever made that sound * _definitely_ * wasn't human, or an animal that he'd heard before. Behind him, he could hear Akimi's whimper, and turned to see if she was okay.

That was his first mistake.

In just a split second, there was a blast from the foggy brush, something resembling one of Kizaru's light lasers - only this one was purple. Just barely he heard Azami's cry of "Get down!", and he ducked, feeling the heat of the laser burn over his shoulder and land somewhere in the water, creating an explosion. When he stood up, he saw she was already running towards the source of the attack. Quickly, he motioned to the rest of his crewmates and took off after her.

In the forest, he heard something charging up, and a rapid fire of the same lasers was discharged at them. Azami deflected as best she could, moving forward slowly, but was forced to a standstill, jamming her spear into the sand and using the air around her to block the blows. "What * _is_ * this thing?!"

"I don't know, but we should find out!" Sam said as he positioned himself behind Azami, gun cocked and ready to fire. With one pull of the trigger, he released a bullet, aiming just under where the lasers were coming from. There was a loud * _clang!_ * as the bullet made contact, and for a brief moment, the firing stopped. Azami let out a breath of relief, standing up and pulling her spear out of the ground. Allen helped Akimi and Chizuru stand, and together, they joined Elena, Ace, Azami, and Sam.

"Wh-what was that just now…?" Akimi asked, rubbing her arms to get the goosebumps down. Everyone else looked at each other, unease written across their faces.

"Is it possible that it was part of the Champion's Challenge?" Chizuru asked, giving all of her friends a once over to make sure they weren't harmed; thanks to Azami's shield, the damage had been minimized. "Perhaps it's to weed out the weak?"

"Only one way to find out." Ace answered quietly. He slowly began making his way to the brush that the lasers had come from, taking care to have his Devil Fruit abilities ready in case there was another attack.

That had been his second mistake.

Something jumped out and over him, heavily landing in the sand behind him. Azami let out a curse, and he felt the blast of wind hit him as he turned around to fully examine whatever had attacked them, only to stop in utter confusion and shock, unable to believe what he was seeing.

The entire thing had a metallic yellow color to it, with glowing silver etchings marked into the body. It had eight, long, spindly legs and a flat body, like a crab. There was a long cylinder sitting atop the flat body, on which two long eye stalks protruded, with one watching Ace warily, and the other observing the other six pirates. Out of the cylinder came two arms, complete with claws. One claw held a glowing sword, while the other claw snapped as it waited for the pirates to make their move.

In the distance, he could hear the sounds of shots being fired and more of those mechanical * _things_ * moving across the sand, as well as the sounds of his other crewmates fighting and shouting. * _This wasn't the only one,_ * he realized. They could have very well walked into a trap.

"Azami, shield! * _Now!_ *" Ace called out, not waiting for the spearwoman to activate it. He launched one fist out, releasing a large column of fire.

** _ **"** **Fire Fist!"**_ **

To his unsurprise, the machine dodged, its body spinning as its legs maneuvered it quickly over the sand and out of the fire blast's range. It sailed towards the rest of his group but didn't hit any of them; Azami had thrown her spear point-down into the sand and slammed her hands together with a loud clap, using the surrounding air to split it in half cleanly. The flames dispersed into the sand, turning the area surrounding the six pirates instantly to glass. With one hand, she used the air to lift a piece of glass and threw it at the machine, which once again dodged the attack.

The machine reached its hand out, the large claws swinging towards the group, while the sword-wielding hand surged towards Ace, swinging the blade down at him. Ace didn't move, letting the blade pass right through him as his body shifted into fire.

Interestingly, it didn't melt - and neither did its hand, as it pulled back and fired a laser at Ace instead. This, he dodged, noting the still throbbing burn on his shoulder he'd received from its first fire - and watched as the laser turned the sand into glass. He had a feeling his Devil Fruit wouldn't help very much with those...

The others had gotten split up while avoiding the grabbing claws of the machine, but each were launching attacks to hit it. Sam had both guns out now and was switching clips like clockwork, ranging from his Explosion Bullets to the potent Acid Bullets, but even his marksmanship was no match for the surprisingly nimble enemy. Its body rotated and maneuvered over the sand quickly - having now switched to using the sword on everyone but Ace - and swung the bladed weapon down on Elena as she dodged and attempted to keep it distracted. Meanwhile, Chizuru launched poison after poison at it, taking care to avoid her friends. Akimi had opted to stay behind Allen, who defended the shaking navigator vigorously, using his kicks to deflect the blade whenever it came near and pulling her with him when he dodged the menacing claw. Azami had ended up near Ace, seamlessly defending him whenever the lasers fired at him and moving out of his way to allow him to attack. And when he missed, she used her own abilities to redirect the fire and tried to throw the machine's rhythm off. None of it worked - most of their attacks flew past it, and only a few landed on the body, doing minimal damage to it.

"This isn't working…!" Azami panted out as she threw yet another piece of glass towards the machine, which it once again dodged.

Ace nodded, noting she was right; everyone was reaching their limits against this thing, from the tired panting and the delayed dodging, to the slowed-down nature of their attacks. At this rate, either the blade, claw, or laser would get them…

It was then that Akimi called out to the duo. "You must get it off of the ground! I am sure we can destroy it if we can take out its strongest point!"

Ace paused briefly, turning his attention to its legs and noted Akimi was right - the few attacks that caused it to stumble were always the ones that struck when the thing was airborne. It might be less dangerous if only they could lift it…!

He turned to Azami, who had busied herself with deflecting the blasts while Ace had stood and watched it. "Can you lift it off the ground?"

"Of course I can, who do you take me for?" she responded, smirking.

In her hands, she gathered two balls of wind, before combining them and launching them at the machine, capturing it in a whirlwind. The machine began firing its lasers as it was lifted, trying to pinpoint the source of the twister and eradicate it. The six pirates dodged to the best of their abilities as the lasers continued to rain down on them and sand was thrown in their faces. Azami snatched the largest piece of glass she could with a blast of air and held it in front of Elena, Sam, and Chizuru, while Allen and Akimi took cover behind another piece of glass. Between maintaining cover for the trio and keeping the machine airborne, she was brought to her knees, hands wavering as she tried to maintain control.

"Now what, Portgas?" the spearwoman cried out, the strain clear in her voice. "I can't hold this thing up forever…!"

"When I tell you to drop that thing, drop it!" He called out to her, causing her to look back in disbelief. Her look of skepticism soon turned into one of understanding, as she saw Ace charging up an attack. With a nod, she reinforced her whirlwind, hand glowing brightly as she waited for his signal.

Ace had managed to get as close as possible to Azami's twister, the fire around him building and burning as he prepared his attack. Everywhere he stepped the ground sizzled, before cooling and reflecting his flames on its glass surface. Inside the twister, Ace spotted the darkened and obscured figure of the thing that had * _dared_ * to attack his family and kneeled, keeping his eyes trained on his target as he raised his fist, using the fire around him to create long lances in his hand. His other hand helped him pinpoint the machine, palm facing towards it and the space between his thumb and pointer figure acting as a reticle to accurately measure where he'd hit his target.

Still with his eyes locked onto the machine, he sucked in a large breath, yelling, "* _Now!_ *"

With a small cry of relief, Azami dropped her hand, dissipating the whirlwind and letting the machine drop towards the ground, watching as Ace thrust his hand forward, releasing the javelins with a mighty throw.

** _ **Sacred Fire: Mysterious Light At Sea**_ **

With a loud crunch, the lances tore through the machine's outer defenses, lodging themselves into it and exploding, creating a blinding light above the ground. Then, it fell - or rather, its remains fell, crashing to the ground with the screeching sound of metal bending and crushing and turning in on itself.

Ace stood, panting loudly, and waited for any sign of another attack. The beach had become silent; the other battles must have finished as well. He looked around at the chaos that had been created and frowned, an uneasy feeling welling up in the pit of his stomach. Just * _what exactly did they fight against?_ * "Elena…"

"I'm on it," she responded, knowing exactly what he wanted. Taking out a screwdriver and a wrench, she set to work, taking a few steps towards the mangled corpse of the machine. "Honestly, after that display I'm * _dying_ * to know what-"

"Elena * _look out!_ *" Sam cried out, pushing her out of the way of a stray laser. The two hit the ground harshly, with Sam crying out in pain as he landed awkwardly on his left hand.

"No… how is it still moving…?" Akimi said quietly, her eyes widened in panic and fear as the gnarled machine started moving, getting to three of its feet and limping forward slowly.

One of its eyes was broken, the light sputtering and flickering as the broken stalk hung freely, while the other watched the pirates carefully, its red light once again washing over them to determine their new threat level. Three of its eight feet hung limply from its body, dragging along in the sand, while two were completely missing. One of its arms was ripped to shreds, sparks flying from what remained, while the other rummaged around in the wreckage and retrieved its missing sword, holding it up and pointing it towards the pirates. All over its ripped and torn body wires poked out, while its once simple lighting began to go haywire, flashing warning colors of blue and red instead along with the steady silver it had been previously.

"It.. it shouldn't be… moving..." Elena said, slowly at first. She sat up next to Sam, who favored leaning on his right arm. "I'm sure you hit its power source; judging from its body mass and its relative size, it shouldn't be able to move, much less fire a laser…!"

"Well, we're just going to have to beat it into the ground until it * _can't_ * move!" Chizuru called out, reaching into a pouch on her belt - but there wasn't much left in it.

Looking around, she saw the same went for the rest of her friends; Sam held his left wrist gingerly, while Elena favored her left foot, wiping blood away from her forehead where she'd been cut. Akimi looked ready to faint at having to survive yet another battle, and Allen was still panting from the last fight, scrapes and bruises dotting what she could see of his skin. Even Ace and Azami looked to be reaching their limits, despite her witnessing those two expend near limitless energy on other occasions. With the enemy weakened, they should have had the advantage, but… the injuries they had taken themselves guaranteed nothing.

The damaged machine beeped, its laser charging up. The pirates readied themselves, dodging yet another blast as it limped forward. Chizuru bit her lip, stumbling as she dodged a series of rapid fire beams, before tripping and landing in the brush near the edge of the beach. Her eyes lit up as an idea quickly formed in her mind. "Everyone, over here! Let's head into the forest!"

Ace turned towards Chizuru's voice, noticing she'd somehow managed to stumble her way out of the beach. Head into the forest? What good would that do?

It wasn't until another blast from the limping monstrosity made him realize it; of course! They'd never make it out to sea and back to the ship before that thing took them down; damaged or not, they were low on stamina and that machine's firing range was long. Given that it hadn't fired on the Moby Dick, however, meant it couldn't sense anything out of its immediate vicinity - a fact he'd realized when Azami had lifted it into the air; it could still sense them, but not very well, which meant there was a limit to what this thing could do. Going into the forest gave them a better chance of evading its attacks and regaining some energy. He nodded along with Chizuru's quick thinking and began running towards the forest, scooping Akimi and Allen up as he did so.

That was when he learned the big glaring hole in her plan.

Despite it being damaged beyond repair, the crushed machine was * _still_ * fast; it might not have been at its peak speed, but it had enough left in it to sprint towards the trio, firing lasers at them as it gave chase. And with everyone heading to the forest, of * _course_ * it would follow them there! He cursed loudly, using every swear possible as he dodged and kept the younger pirates in his grasp. But it was no use; it was gaining on them, faster than Ace could run.

Elena and Sam had already reached the brush before he did and watched with worry. "Ace!"

"Elena, Sam, catch!" he gasped out, lifting both Allen and Akimi and tossing them towards the two older pirates, who caught them with ease.

The sudden shift in his weight, however, caused him to miscalculate his next step, and he tripped, toppling forward. The machine was well on his back now; he could hear the inconsistent beeps of its broken body as it bore down on him, laser charging and ready to fire through him. He stuck both hands out, catching himself as he fell and pushed upward in a forward leap, launching himself up and through the air toward the brush, desperately hoping he could make it before the machine caught him.

As he did this, however, he spotted a gleam of silver underneath him. The machine? No… he recognized this silver… Then it was gone, only replaced by the sickening groan of metal dragging across ground.

Just as he'd launched himself up, Azami appeared underneath him, her entire body shrouded in lightning as she pushed their pursuer back with her towards the beach, forcing her spear in where he'd made holes before. The machine's beeping got worse as she did so, sputtering as sparks flew more rapidly. She backed away from it, lifting her free hand in the air. In it was a ball of lightning, coiling as it hissed and popped. She threw it at the machine, hitting it squarely and knocking it back a few feet.

Chizuru frowned, pursing her lips. Lightning - that was new. She was sure Azami'd never used that before. But then again, she never fully explained her abilities, only supplying a quick, simple sentence in the moment… Chizuru would make sure to ask her for a more detailed explanation later.

"Go! That thing might signal more of it to come after us if it gets into the forest with you!" Azami called out, creating another ball of lightning and hitting the machine once more; this time it teetered, trying to stay balanced on its trio of feet. "I'll catch up with you, don't worry!"

"How are you going to do that?" Ace called out, standing at the edge. The others had already started down the path, but Ace waited. He might not have liked * _or_ * trusted Azami as much as he did his other crewmates, but she was still a member of their crew - whether she thought so or not - and as her Commander, he needed to make sure she would be okay.

He barely caught the smirk on her face before she turned around, facing the mangled machine once more. "I have my ways… Now go!"

Ace nodded, hearing the confidence in her voice as she faced down her enemy, letting out a cry as she ran towards it. He turned, running blindly into the trees and following the sound of running from everyone else. Briefly, however, he looked over his shoulder before the beach fully disappeared, and caught sight of Azami, running around the machine and dealing devastating blows, using the lightning to enhance her speed as she did so. Then, something peculiar happened.

The area underneath her glowed, with weird circles and symbols appearing. Just barely he caught her saying something, but whatever it was, he was too far to understand it, only hearing her voice carry through the air. Then, above her, with one hand in the air, a swirling mass of energy that was not fire, or air - or even that weird lightning trick she'd been using - appeared. It looked more like when he'd use Flame Emperor, though nowhere near as big and not as fiery. He was unable to catch what happened next, as the mist suddenly swirled in and blocked his view; all he could hear was the devastating blow as it landed, hitting the ground and causing a brief rumble. Frowning, he turned forward and continued running, a weird feeling at the back of his mind as he mulled over Azami's strange display of power.

Eventually, he'd caught up to the rest of his group, spying Elena's bright blonde and Chizuru's salmon pink in between trees. "I'm glad everyone's alright… Azami said she'd catch up with us soon. For now, since we've got a break, let's rest up then keep moving."

"How's she gonna find us in this fog?" Sam muttered, looking around. Since entering the forest, it seemed to have gotten thicker; there was a few feet around him he could see before everything was obscured and out of sight.

"Wait, you * _still_ * want to find the Champion's Challenge?" Elena asked in slow disbelief. Ace hesitated, then shook his head, a thoughtful look on his face.

"There's something else on this island, something that made those things, and I want to know what it is." He answered, glancing around. "If we happen to figure out the Champion's Challenge in the process, I think it'll be a win-win."

Elena let out a small groan, leaning back against the rock she'd chosen to sit by, before turning to Sam. "How's your wrist doing?"

"It's smarting, but I'll get over it, especially thanks to Chizuru," the sharpshooter answered, holding his now wrapped hand. "I might have some trouble using my rifle, but I can still use my handguns!"

"It should be better within the next two days, * _provided_ * you don't stress your wrist." She said pointedly, moving on to care for Elena's wounds. "Given your track record, however, I'm giving you a week at best!"

"Hey, I promise this time I'll be a good patient, Doc!" Sam joked, turning as Allen and Akimi came back through the brush, Azami behind them. She looked worn down, with a few cuts on her arms and face that hadn't been there before, as well as new bruises.

"Cool, everyone's still alive," She noted, smirking. "I guess we gotta figure out who the heck sent that monster after us now?"

"Akimi and I found some things that we think will lead us somewhere," Allen chimed in, pointing back to where they came from. "But… well. You should come see for yourselves."

The four other pirates looked at each other, before gathering up their supplies and following the two younger pirates. It seemed it would take a bit before they reached the area, so Chizuru pulled back to walk at the same pace as Azami, giving her a once over. "How are your cuts? Do you need anything?"

"Hm? Oh, these?" She looked down, seeming mildly surprised that she had any. "I'll be alright; I'll just lick it to make it better."

"You most certainly * _will not!_ *" Chizuru hissed, the doctor in her rearing its head as she began lecturing. "Not only is that incredibly unhygienic, spit does not have any sort of healing properties to help disinfect or speed the process of closing the wound! Who told you that was okay? And where are they so I can give them a proper rundown on how to effectively maintain and clean wounds!"

At this, Azami's face gave way to a dark look, and Chizuru paused, frowning. However, in the midst of that darkness, she managed to glimpse… Sadness?

"They told me that a long time ago…" She answered quietly, turning her face away from Chizuru's observant eyes. After a brief silence, she turned back to the doctor, a smirk on her face as she held up a small bag. "Anyway, I noticed you were running low on your poisons, so I… grabbed these from the wreckage of our rowboat; hope something in there is useful to you."

"Oh, thanks…" Chizuru started, a bit surprised that the spearwoman had picked up on something like that during the battle… Peeking into the bag, she noticed that it did in fact have some of her more common poisons in there, and she took careful steps to separate them and place them in their respective pouches.

"We're gonna need it for whatever we face next," Azami noted, motioning her head towards the front of the group. Chizuru turned to see what she meant, and gasped.

She could already tell that it was the same type of machine that attacked them on the beach, and she felt her body tense as she got into a battle stance. Instead of resembling a crab, this one looked more like a spider, with eight, spindly legs and two flat body parts. The longer she looked at it, though, the more she realized its power source must have gone out quite a while ago. Vines and mold were covering its body, and the shiny silver color had eroded into a rusty copper brown in places. One of its arms hung limply in the branches of the tree it was under - really, it looked as though the power chose to die while it was climbing down the tree, as evidenced by its legs securely wrapped around the large tree's trunk… Elena had approached the machine cautiously, checking it to make sure it wouldn't suddenly activate. Once she was sure its power source was dead, she immediately began tearing it apart to study how it worked.

"I've never seen anything like it…" the shipwright muttered, shock and awe brimming in her eyes as she studied the decayed machine's wiring. "This… is so advanced, I don't even know where to begin…"

"Anything that tells us its weak points would be helpful," Ace advised, checking the surrounding area quickly. "If and when we run into another one of those things, we'll be better prepared to fight it off."

"That's not all Allen and I found," Akimi intercepted, catching the rest of the pirates' attention. Elena looked up briefly, before returning to her work on the strange machine. The rest followed the young navigator as she walked a little ways away from the spider-machine and the enraptured mechanic. "We think there were - or are - people living on this island."

In front of the six pirates was a well worn-path, cutting through the trees and mist like a knife. The path split in two directions, and in the intersection was a well-worn sign. Akimi tentatively stepped towards it, bending down to wipe the dust off. "Hm… this is a language I've never seen before…"

"Let's pick a path and see where it takes us - hopefully not towards our deaths," Chizuru suggested, looking between their two choices. "If there are people here, both paths should lead us towards them… right?"

"Theoretically, the chances of us running into natives of this island are good," Akimi surmised as she studied the path. "These paths had to have been worn down over a long period of time, but given its narrow width, it must not be a heavily traveled area. There is also the possibility that only one will lead us to people; the other might lead nowhere."

"If it leads to nowhere, we can always backtrack and try the other option," Sam proposed, rubbing his chin. "Though we should also consider the person who created those machines - it's likely they didn't want visitors, and these roads could be covered with traps."

"So maybe we're better off * _not_ * following either path?" Ace asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked over the two roads. "I'd assume there are more traps the deeper we go."

"Well we can't head back to the beach yet; there could be more of those machines lying around." Azami reminded everyone. "I say we pick a path and go."

"'Kokarika Village, left path, 10 miles' - so the sign says," Allen read, squinting his eyes as he did so. The other five pirates turned towards him, watching as he studied the sign. "I can't be sure that's correct, however; the sign's writing is pretty worn, plus this is a dialect I don't think I've come across before."

"You can understand this language?" Akimi inquired, excitement creeping into her voice. Allen paused, a slight blush appearing on his face.

"Y-yeah; my mother was into studying languages, so I… picked up a few from her. It's a habit I've tried to break." he responded sheepishly, looking away from the pirates' curious gazes. "A-anyway, I also think we should try a path - preferably the left one, since we know a village is down it."

"We can take a vote and go with the majority; Sam, can you grab Elena?" Ace watched as the orange-haired sharpshooter nodded and headed back the way they came, disappearing into the mist almost immediately. "Truthfully, I'd like to keep going as well, but if our odds are-"

His sentence was cut off as a scream tore through the foggy jungle, followed by Sam's cry of "Elena!" The five pirates all turned and raced back down the path, adrenaline pushing their bodies to prepare for an attack. When they reached the tree and the machine, no one was in sight - the only indication that the two had been there was Elena's tools, and one of Sam's handguns.

Ace bent to pick up the gun, staying crouched and holding it tightly as he slowly scanned their surroundings, looking for any hint that they weren't alone. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Azami standing with her eyes closed.

"There were three… no wait, five - there were five people here, along with Sam and Elena," she said quietly, her eyes still closed and face scrunched in concentration. "I don't know where they went, though; it's almost like they've completely hidden themselves, energy and all. Sam and Elena's are gone too."

Ace frowned, standing up as he did so. "We can't leave them behind. We're going to search the surrounding area; everyone stays together, especially in this mist."

The other four nodded, and Ace turned to step off the path. The moment he did so, a * _swoosh!_ * sounded, followed by a yelp from Akimi.

A net had shot off, from a trap Ace didn't notice. The net began to reel in quickly, taking the young girl off the path and into the fog. "Help me!"

"Akimi!" Allen took off after her, and dove into the jungle, followed by Chizuru. Almost immediately, the two were swallowed into the fog, which thickened the further they ran.

"We have to stick together!" Ace cried out, worry and slight panic coursing through his body as he and Azami tried to follow the duo. It was too late - even though their vision was impeded, they could hear the sounds of a battle going on, the cries of the chef and doctor ringing out clearly.

Ace growled, tendrils of flames leaping from his body as he tried to spot anyone, * _anything,_ * moving through the mist. The jungle had fallen silent, the only sounds being the wildlife that lived here. There was no unnatural sound of battle, no remnant of a human moving through the underbrush, * _nothing_ *.

He turned to Azami, frustration clearly showing on his face. "Can't you do something about this fog?"

But she only shook her head, a perplexed look crossing her features. "I can't… There's something… * _off_ * about this island. This mist, it's unnatural, and the air here… It won't obey me - it's different from when we were on the beach. For now, there's nothing I can do."

"Well, we've got to do something! Allen and the others are-"

He paused as he suddenly felt a stinging sensation in his left arm. That was odd… Looking down, he saw a dart protruding from his tattoo; the needle had pricked him right in the crossed-out 'S'. He plucked it out, examining it in confusion - noticing the distinct blue tip…

And felt his feet give out under him.

The world started to sway as he crashed into the ground, the stinging now turning into numbness and spreading throughout his body. Above, he heard what sounded like someone calling his name, but his brain had turned to mush, making it hard to stay focused… His eyelids started to close, and it took all his effort to force them back open. He tried to reach up to touch his face, but his arms weren't working right; in fact, they weren't working * _at all_ *. Across from him, he saw Azami enter his field of vision, her body hitting the ground roughly. Her spear slid across the jungle floor and off into the underbrush, out of sight. Just like him, she also had a dart in her shoulder, but he noticed that its tip was a strange hazel and amber color, unlike the blue one he had…

With a groan, she tried to sit up, breathing heavily. Ace tried to call out to her, but all that came out was a gurgled moan that sounded like, "Azzzzmee..." His mouth felt like it'd been stuffed with cotton, and he smacked his lips, trying to get them to work. But his tongue felt heavy and wouldn't move right; it stuck to the roof of his mouth like he ate an entire jar of peanut butter.

She glanced at him, worry lining her features, then behind her as a shadow fell over the two. Another dart entered her shoulder, and she let out a cry, her head swaying before it finally fell forward, her green eyes dull and unfocused as her gaze fell on him.

The last thing Ace saw was her being dragged away, her silver hair leaving his sight.

**~holypoopyits18pagesandwe'reonlygettingstarted!~**

The shuffling and quiet whispers were what pulled Sam back to consciousness.

He groaned as he slowly opened his eyes, blinking rapidly in confusion and lingering sleep. What happened? Where was he? And why did his head hurt so much? He sat up slowly, rubbing at his bleary eyes with his right hand and winced when he put pressure on his left. The sharp and quick bite of pain caused him to yelp, and he held his hand up, examining it. That's right… He sprained his wrist earlier, when they fought against that strange machine, then their journey into the jungle… The last thing he remembered was being ambushed in the forest, with Elena...

Next to him, Elena mumbled, rolling onto her side and pulling the sheet over her head. He turned to look at her, feeling relieved that she was alright, and took the time to study their surroundings better.

The entire room was dim, with the only bit of light coming from the barred window above them. And speaking of bars - there was a heavy set of them going across one stone wall to the next, separating them from the other side of the room, where an identical set of bars blocked another space. He stood slowly, turning around to get a full picture of where the two were. More walls made of stone, a rough cot with worn sheets, and a bucket in the corner…

They were imprisoned.

The orange-haired sharpshooter sat back down on the cot as his mind tried to retrace the steps that lead him here. But all his brain could remember was Elena's cries of shock, and his fumbling for his gun -

A shock passed through him, and he quickly patted his sides. Yup, his guns were gone. He frowned; those guns had been with him for as long as he could remember; not having them now made him feel open, * _vulnerable_ *... Shaking his head, he pushed the uncomfortable feelings away and looked at all the facts he had.

He and Elena were in some sort of holding cell.

He was unarmed and injured.

He had no clue where they were, and he was sure Elena wouldn't either.

He didn't know where any of his friends were, or if they were safe.

And, he didn't know who it was that attacked them.

"What a mess…" He muttered, rubbing his face with his hand and turning to glance at Elena. She was still sleeping peacefully, and Sam hated to be the one to ruin it, but… "Elena, wake up."

He shook her a bit, and with an unhappy moan, she pulled away from his hand, cuddling further underneath the blanket. God, she could not be more adorable… With a firm shake of his head to keep himself focused, he continued poking and prodding at the sleeping blonde until she finally sat up, eyes unfocused and still caught within a dream. "Wha…? Sam, why are you in my room?"

"We're… not in your room." Sam responded, fighting the urge to smile at Elena's innocent confusion. "Remember? We were ambushed in the forest?"

Sudden realization dawned on Elena, and she examined the room quickly, frowning as she stood from the rickety cot to examine the heavy iron bars. "Oh no…"

"Yeah… I don't know if the others were attacked or not." Sam supplied, rolling his left wrist to ease some of the pain. "If anything they hopefully escaped, or saw who attacked us."

The blond nodded, giving the bars a quick yank to test their sturdiness. Just as she suspected - whoever built this holding cell intended for it to withstand the strength of whoever was trapped within it. She noticed Sam lacking his holsters, and knew she'd been disarmed as well. So they were trapped, at the mercy of whoever had caught them. "If I had my tools, I could've dismantled this cage in a flash…"

"Maybe there's something in here that can help," Sam suggested, though their temporary home was threadbare and empty.

The two paused their searching, however, as they heard the sound of a heavy door opening. They looked at each other, hope and unease lighting their eyes as they rushed to the bars, trying to see to the end of the hall. There were voices as well, and they grew closer and closer to their cell, speaking in quiet whispers before finally stopping. From the angle she was standing at, Elena could see two hooded figures; their entire bodies were completely shrouded, making the mechanic unable to tell what they looked like. They were each holding onto something - no, they were holding onto * _someone*_ -

"Akimi!" Sam cried out, panic lining his voice. Elena gasped as they opened the cell across from them and tossed the girl unceremoniously inside. Her body landed with a thud on the ground, causing her to release a pained yelp. Elena's grip on the bars tightened, and she felt the metal groan under the pressure. "What did you do to her?!"

"Nothing that wasn't deserved." one of the hooded figures answered, only turning slightly to the duo This voice was high pitched, but firm and unyielding - this one must have been a high ranking officer, or something similar. "A simple… procedure, to ensure our safety."

"You bastards…" Sam growled, giving the two a heated glare. "What do you want from us?!"

"That is of no concern of yours; but do not fret - your time will come, just as the young girl's, and just as that leader of yours and his silver-haired Witch." The same figure responded, before turning away. The other figure followed, and soon, the hallway fell into silence again.

"Silver-hair… That could only mean they got Azami too…" Elena answered, though she hummed at them calling the thief a "Witch"... Perhaps they didn't know of Devil Fruits here? Though Elena herself wasn't sure if Azami * _even_ * had a Devil Fruit… "And 'our leader' must be Ace… But what about the others?"

"That only leaves Chizuru and Allen - we can only hope they didn't get ambushed like we did…" Sam frowned, not liking the odds. But a small groan from across the hall pushed that worry away in favor of a new one. "Akimi! Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine and well…" The blue-haired girl sat up, wincing as she did so. She looked beaten and battered, with new cuts and bruises dotting her skin. Her skirt was torn and her white shirt was dirty, but other than that, she didn't seem to be in any extreme pain. Her eyes were glowing brightly with clarity and focus as she looked over at the older crew members. "Are you two alright?"

"We're fine, just confused and apprehensive," Sam answered, crouching down to get a better look at the navigator. "What about the others, do you know where they are or what happened to them?"

At his question, Akimi frowned, and tears gathered in her eyes as she nodded. "Th-they captured us all - i-it was too late to avoid th-them. I was separated from Allen a-and Chizuru, but the room they took me to… Captain Ace was there. He was chained up with sea stone, and… h-he looked to be in p-pain. Th-they were trying to get him to talk b-but he wouldn't, until… until…"

Akimi's voice shuddered as she sobbed, and Elena and Sam looked at each other, already understanding what she wouldn't say. Their situation was only getting worse; if their strongest fighter was out of commission, then… Sam turned back to Akimi, questions still brimming in his mind. "Did you see Azami? They said they'd captured her too."

But the little pirate only shook her head, wiping at her tears. "I-I don't kn-know where th-they've taken her… B-But Captain Ace might. He said he'd s-seen her after they brought me in."

So that was their situation: Ace immobilized, their other crewmates nowhere to be seen, and no new information on where they were or who they were being held captive by. Sam tried not to let the negatives get to him - right now, their objective was clear.

They needed to escape, and do it fast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, I haven't done a cliffhanger like that in a long time... What's gonna happen to them? I guess you'll find out in Chapter 5!  
> Sit tight, and see you next time!


End file.
